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Heartwarming video of mom with Alzheimer’s recognizing and singing with her son

"I think it's beautiful, my mum's just trying her best with what she knows, and we had a beautiful moment.”

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By Brelaun Douglas via SWNS

This heartwarming video shows a lady with Alzheimer's forgetting, and then remembering, her son's name, before partaking in a joyful, giggling singalong with him.

@seb100things

My mum with Alzheimer’s forget and then remembers my name ##dementia ##alzheimers ##family ##singing

♬ original sound - Seb100things

Sebastian Terry's mother Ingrid, 64, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's eight years ago and often forgets who her son is.

“It's tough and it’s a real process,” said Sebastian, who is from Sydney, Australia but lives in Venice, California.

“When it first happened, I had to really build up an understanding of what the disease actually is.

“The onus is to become educated and work on compassion and empathy to help make that journey easier for your parent.

"They’re trying their best at the end of the day. They don’t realize that they’re forgetting things.”

In the video, Sebastian asks his mother if she knows his name, to which she gleefully responds “Sebastian.”

After he tells her that he is her son, she breaks into a rendition of ‘We’ll meet again’ and Sebastian joins her.

Sebastian, who runs a non-profit, grew up with his mother singing to him and his sister.

“Of all the things she forgets and can't quite remember, music and songs are the one thing she loves,” he said.

Sebastian and Ingrid smile after she remembers his name and who he is. (Screenshot via Seb100things TikTok)

“Me and my sister will often jump on a Zoom call with her and sing for an hour.

 “If I get my guitar out and start playing music, she’ll remember some of the words to other songs too. ‘You are my sunshine’ is a popular one and ‘We'll meet again.’” 

Since Ingrid still lives in Australia, Sebastian hasn't been able to see her since COVID struck.

He said: “I haven’t been able to see her in person for a year and a half, so it's pretty sad."

“I’m really looking forward to getting to see her though. We chat three or four times a week on FaceTime which is really beautiful.”

During the last year, his mother’s memory of her family has deteriorated further.

“In the last sort of 12 months, forgetting me and my sister and my dad has become sadly much more common,” he said.

Still, he finds dealing with her disease a journey, that has become easier over time.

"I’ve developed an understanding and a love for whatever version of mum turns up because it's very up and down,” he said.

“Sometimes she's very sweet and singy and other times she can be quite angry.

“You can’t even imagine what it must be like for someone in that capacity. I of course sometimes have moments where I get a little sad about it all, but whenever I’m just chatting to my mum it's just lovely.”

Sebastian has also started learning French so he can speak with his mother in her native tongue.

“I’ve always wanted to speak to her in French properly, so I try to speak to her in my best French,” he said.

“It’s always nice, whether she knows who I am or not.”

Sebastian shot the video two years ago but decided to repost it recently, to bring some positivity into the world.

"Everyone just loves my mum, " he said. 

“Anytime I show that video to friends they go crazy about her.

“It’s so nice that in a world where there’s so much shallow stuff, this genuinely beautiful video connects with people.

"I now see that video and it makes me smile. I think it's beautiful, my mum's just trying her best with what she knows, and we had a beautiful moment.”

For more information about Sebastian and his non-profit visit: No Barriers USA

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