Each time this Alzheimer’s patient, Setsuko Harmon, meets her newborn granddaughter, it’s like it’s the first time. Her daughter, Christine Stone, captures the joyous meetings on camera.
The 77-year-old woman from South California first caught the world’s attention when her daughter posted a video compilation of her earlier this year. In the video, Harmon reacted to her daughter’s pregnancy news like it was brand-new information each time.
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In this latest video, Harmon meets her granddaughter Sadie just two hours after her birth at the hospital.
“Do you know who that is?” Stone asks as Harmon stands beside the hospital bed. “That’s my baby.”
Harmon gasps in surprise then whispers: “So cute.”
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Later at the hospital, Harmon is surprised to see the baby again.
“Your baby?” she asks.
Then at home, she sees Sadie on the couch. Once again, she’s amazed at how cute the baby is.
“You said this is whose baby?” she asks her daughter.
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In an interview with the Today Show, Stone explained that her mother loves the newborn and even wanted to take her home.
“Every time I say, ‘Meet your granddaughter, Sadie,’ she’ll forget whose baby it is again five minutes later. She gets so excited all over again.”
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The effects of the Alzheimer’s Disease, which affects more than 747,000 Canadians and at least 44-million people worldwide, can be heartbreaking. But Stone explains that she captures and shares these moments to spread awareness.
“Yes, it’s sweet seeing my mom get so excited over and over again, but it’s so sad at the same time,” Stone told People Magazine.
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Harmon was diagnosed with the illness about eight years ago and has short-term memory loss.
The experience of watching her memory fade away has been extremely difficult for the family, Stone explained.
“But she still knows me and my dad, and I’m so thankful for that.”
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