Gene Wilder's Widow Talks About His Battle with Alzheimer's
January 08, 2018
Gene Wilder's Widow Shares Their Story
Karen first explains how she never imagined herself falling for a movie star. But as a prominent speech pathologist in 1989, she helped the "Willy Wonka" actor prepare for his role as a hearing impaired character in the movie “See No Evil, Hear No Evil.” Married in 1991, Karen says they were "one of the happiest couples I knew." For decades, they lived their own romance story, painting watercolors side-by-side during the day and dancing beneath the stars at night on a dance floor they'd built together. But then, Alzheimer's showed up, triggering another part of Karen's life she'd never imagined."I never pictured myself marrying a movie star. I also never saw myself spending years of my life taking care of one. But I’ve done both. Love was the reason for the first. Alzheimer’s disease, the second," she writes.Of course, this terrible disease doesn't announce its arrival. The changes in Gene's easygoing demeanor were subtle at first.
"Always the kindest, most tender man (if a fly landed on him, he waited for the fly to leave), suddenly I saw Gene lashing out at our grandson," Karen explained. "His perception of objects and their distance from him became so faulty that on a bike ride together, he thought we were going to crash into some trees many feet away from us. Once, at a party with friends, when the subject of 'Young Frankenstein' came up, he couldn’t think of the name of the movie and had to act it out instead."
The Grim Reality of Alzheimer's
Gene's devastating Alzheimer's diagnosis came with no chance of survival. There was no treatment plan that might save him. Just the knowledge that as the disease progressed, more and more of him would disappear. Memories, then motor control and then, eventually, "his body would simply forget how to swallow or breathe.""My husband took the news with grief, of course, but also astonishing grace," Gene Wilder's widow says.Credit: Karen Wilder via ABC News Karen outlines the gradual deterioration of her husband's condition. Drawstring pants became a struggle. Memories became increasingly difficult to recall. Things got worse and worse.
"One day, when he fell on the patio and couldn’t get up, I maneuvered him over to the edge of our pool and floated him to the other side, where there were steps and a railing to assist him," Gene Wilder's widow reminisced.RELATED: Grandma With Alzheimer’s Meets Her Grandbaby Over And Over Again Karen was in bed beside Gene when he took his last breath. And the years of watching her beloved deteriorate with no way to stop or delay it must have been excruciating. And that's why she's speaking out.
"Neither my love, nor science, could save my husband’s life. But it’s my most profound hope that through research and awareness, others may be spared the experience that killed Gene -- and could have killed me, too."
Prayers For A Cure
Encouraged by a gift of $100 million dollars from The Gates Foundation to the cause of Alzheimer’s research, Karen's hope is that a cure can be found. And perhaps this commitment from The Gates Foundation comes at just the time God intended. Right now, there’s no cure for Alzheimer's, and treatments do not work well. Some drugs can help reduce symptoms for a time but they do not slow the worsening of the disease. However, scientists looking to cure diabetes may have inadvertently changed that! Researchers at Lancaster University were testing a new drug hoping it would help diabetes patients. However, they recently announced the drug was found to have “significantly reversed memory loss” in test subjects. Right now, those test subjects are mice. However, the drug reportedly works in multiple ways to protect the brain against degeneration and promote growth.“With no new treatments in nearly 15 years, we need to find new ways of tackling Alzheimer’s,” Dr. Doug Brown of the Alzheimer’s Society said. “It’s imperative that we explore whether drugs developed to treat other conditions can benefit people with Alzheimer’s.”Our prayer is that, by God's grace, between this new drug and increased funding of research, our world will soon see the end of the crushing disease called Alzheimer's! Please join us in praying for all those suffering with mental illness and their families.
WATCH: Inspirational Video About Mental Illness And Hope
Voices by Lambog (feat. Samuelle) from lambog1 on GodTube.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for the Homeless and Vulnerable during the Winter Season - Your Daily Prayer - January 23
Let us follow Jesus' example and find out how we can show compassion and care for those in need. Our first step is a sincere prayer to ask God how we can be used in his Kingdom.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for the Homeless and Vulnerable during the Winter Season - Your Daily Prayer - January 23
Let us follow Jesus' example and find out how we can show compassion and care for those in need. Our first step is a sincere prayer to ask God how we can be used in his Kingdom.
Past Stories
- Her 91-Year-Old Grandmother Is Besties With Her Husband and the Relationship Is Beyond Cute
- New Jersey High School Basketball Star Keeps Playing Through Cancer Diagnosis
- Dad Whose Daughter Died After Transplant Gives Kidney to Another Little Girl
- Musician is Reunited With Letterman Jacket, 30 Years After Ordering It Back in High School
- Twin Brothers Both Pop the Question Just Days Apart, Without Planning to Do So
- Girl Scout Saves Her Dad's Life Just 11 Days After Learning CPR
- This 100 Year Old Kentucky Centenarian Works At Home Depot, Offering Great Tips For a Long Life
- Woman Married 82 Years Has a Very Special Disney-Themed 100th Birthday Party
- Man Discovers 46 Year Old Christmas Present in the Wall of His Childhood Home
- 4 Year Old Twin Girls Are Heroes After Finding Retired Police Officers Wallet
- Her Cat Was Missing For 7 Years, But She Finally Came Back Home
- Delta Held a Plane So a Daughter Could Have One Last Goodbye With Her Dying Mother
- Even Through Dementia One Special Phrase Kept a Grandmother Connected to Her Husband
- Mom, Dad, and 6-Year-Old Daughter Are Heroes After Rescuing Woman From Overturned Car
- Couple Receive the Biggest Surprise Blessing After Cervical Cancer Diagnosis
- Old English Sheepdog Who Appears to Have Special Powers, Receives an Award
- 49 Years Later Daughter is Reunited With Birth Mother and Other Family After Taking DNA Test
- 22 Family Members Surprise Grandparents With a Fun Family Sleepover
- Scared Doodle Rescued From Thin Frozen New Jersey Lake With Help From Neighbors Drone
- Woman Caught in a Riptide is Saved by Fisherman's Hook
- Couple Finds Lost Ring In a Snowy Wonderland During Engagement Photo Shoot
- Jimmy Carter, 39th President, Passes Away at 100, Leaving Behind a Legacy of Service
- Kimberly Williams-Paisley Talks About Getting Her Voice Back After Losing It Two Years Ago
- 90-Year-Old From Oklahoma Is Rewarded For Going Out of His Way to Help Others
- Husband Decorates His Neighbors' Homes For Wife Who Loves Christmas
- Couple Befriend Older Neighbor After Hearing Music Coming From His Apartment
- California Man Carpools With Adult Children On His Very Last Day of Work Before Retirement
- Family of Three Grows To Seven Overnight With Birth of Quadruplets
- The World's Oldest Dog Spike the Chihuahua Turns 25 Years Old
- Christmas Tree Planted Back in 1979 Inspires and Unites a Small English Village
- Dick Van Dyke Turns 99 After Evacuating From a Wildfire and Welcoming His Lost Cat Back Home
- Santa and Mrs.Claus Continue to Spread Christmas Magic Even With Santa's MS Diagnosis
- Little Girl Gets a Big Elf On the Shelf Surprise Honoring the Little Brother Who Passed Away
- Little Boy From England With Leukemia Delivers Over 400 Christmas Gifts To Kids At the Hospital
- Gold Star Family Receives a Big Surprise That Will Change Their Lives Forever
- 8-Year-Old With Down Syndrome Is a Hero After Saving Sister From House Fire
- Man Paralyzed At 17 While Snowboarding Has Found True Love and a Wonderful Life
- His Wife Passed Away, Now Their Special Tree is the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
- Granddaughter Captures Last Words Between Grandparents, Married For 69 Years
- New York State Police Rescue Woman Needing a Heart Transplant Stranded in Snowstorm
- Born the Same Year the Titanic Sank, World's Oldest Man Dies at 112
- Family Receives Support From School and Community After Losing House in a Fire
- Soldier Reunites With His Military Dog Yyacob After Years Apart
- Chicago Man Discovers That The Owner Of The Bakery He Loved To Visit Was Actually His Mother
- Husband Pays For 40 Pet Adoptions At Shelter For His Wife's 40th Birthday
- Parents Find Healing After Loss of Son By Donating His Beloved Key Collection To Little Boy
- Mom Dances With Son At His Wedding After Being Placed in Hospice Care 2 Weeks Before
- Grandmother and Young Granddaughter Battling Cancer At the Exact Same Time
- Community Brings Christmas Joy to Virginia Woman With Just Weeks to Live
- Four Friends Recreate A Fun Vacation Photo From 50 Years Ago
Top Music Videos
CCM Magazine Oak Ridge Boys Singer William Lee Golden Shares How Group Has Navigated Recent Loss and Grief
The Statler Brothers 'Til the Storm Passes By' The Statler Brothers Live Performance
Casting Crowns ‘Good Good Father’ – Stunning Worship From Casting Crowns
toby mac TobyMac Drops ‘a Lil Church’ Official Lyric Video
Kari Jobe Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe ‘Firm Foundation (He Won’t)’ and ‘Great Are You Lord’ Live Performance
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.