I’m sorry to write something like this, but I really need to get this off my chest. I never expected that I would ever hear such painful words from my own family, especially from someone I love more than anything. Today, my grandma told my brother that she “doesn’t care about me anymore” and that, to her, I “don’t exist anymore because I talk back.” Later, my brother told me what she had said. Not gonna lie, those words felt like a million needles, or knives, being stabbed straight into my heart. I know that this is the disease talking, not necessarily my grandma herself. I know she isn’t always fully aware of how much her words can hurt, and I know that illness can change the way someone behaves and reacts. But I also think that no one can truly prepare themselves for hearing words like that from an elderly person they love. It’s not like I don’t care about her. Quite the opposite. I have sacrificed my own fucking life, my happiness, my time, and so much of myself trying to take care of her. I was trying to write my master’s thesis while also taking care of her. I’ve been trying with everything I have to be patient, understanding, and supportive. But how many times can you tell someone not to do something before you finally lose your patience? And it’s not like I’m telling her these things for no reason. I’m constantly trying to make sure she stays safe. For example, I keep telling her that she can’t walk around on her own anymore and that she needs to use her walker. One time, she went outside without it and walked all the way to the pond by herself. I didn’t even realize she had disappeared at first. When I noticed she was gone, I immediately went looking for her. Thankfully, I found her, because God knows what could have happened while she was out there alone. I’m not trying to control her (I heard this word from her too). I’m scared something will happen to her. I’m scared that one day I might not be there at the right moment to notice that something is wrong. But after saying the same things over and over again, trying to explain why I’m saying them, worrying constantly, and watching her sometimes ignore everything I tell her just because she doesn’t want to listen… who wouldn’t eventually lose their patience? I’m human too. I’m also going through an incredibly stressful time right now. I have my master’s defense this Monday, and I’m already overwhelmed and exhausted. Sometimes I snap. Sometimes I raise my voice. Sometimes I answer back. I’m not proud of it, but I don’t do it because I don’t care about her or because I want to hurt her. Sometimes I’m simply exhausted beyond my limits. But somehow, it feels easier for people to see me as a monster than as someone who is desperately trying to help, trying to take care of another person, and doing the best she can with what she has left. And lately, I’ve been starting to wonder if maybe there really is something wrong with me or maybe I should disappear like she said.