Listen to Chris’ touching poem in memory of Wendy.
This is Chris Maddocks, a dementia diarist and member of Sea DEEP… and I’ve written this tribute to Wendy Mitchell and sent it to her daughters Sarah and Gemma.
Living for the day
You did that and gave us hope in the most incredible way
Your daily trundles with your camera in tow
The photos you took brought everyone out of their low
You trundled miles and miles
And oh what a joy seeing your photos made so many smile
The views were amazing, the animals so pleased to see you
The ducks always waiting for your food to chew
Through your blogs and books you brought us all hope
That you can live well with dementia and that’s no joke
When your fog descended on your amazing brain
You rested or trundled outdoors, even in the pouring rain
Your playmates will miss you dearly, every single day
The grief and loss we feel, never going away
Even though we feel bereft at the sudden loss of losing you
Your legacy for sure will last a lifetime in the hearts of folk who followed you
You showed us living with dementia, hope and light
Remembering you Wendy, who fought the good fight
Thinking the best of all you met
Giving hope that we may not fret
Fly high, my friend, in the brightest of skies
And always remember you filled our hearts with hope and pride
Love knows not it’s depth until the hour of separation
When faced with death we had no preparation
You dying, your plan in place
Left broken hearts and deep sighing
Wendy, we know you are in a better place
With no more fog to face
When I see a Robin cross my path
I think of you and all the laughs
Your memory and legacy lives on
The Zoomettes and Amigos too will come to terms with the passing of you
You loved your girls with all your heart
They’ve known your love right from the very start
The love you had for Gemma and Sarah, made them the girls you are today
They helped enable you to live your life and death
Showing the world you did your best
You won, dementia didn’t have the last say
As you lived your life in a unique way
To Gemma and Sarah, here’s my tribute to your wonderful Mum who I will never forget, how blessed was she having daughters like you. Sending hugs and love. Chris Maddocks
