Aunt Marlene

 Rest In Peace, Aunt Marlene

 

My Aunt Marlene died on New Years Eve, 12/31/07. She had many health problems and they finally got the best of her. It seemed to happen so quick though. She went downhill quick. I saw her on her birthday in late November and she seemed fine. I still can't believe that she is gone.

 

Aunt Marlene had schizophrenia. She suffered with that for most of her adult life. She was married to an abusive husband. After she had 3 sons, she had a nervous breakdown. She was never the same again. She was in an out of institutions in the 50's and 60's and did receive the infamous shock treatment. My grandparents took care of her when she was not hospitalized. After my grandparents died, my Mom took care of Aunt Marlene. Aunt Marlene was a paranoid schizophrenic. She took medication for it but there is no cure. She believed that people stole her body and replaced it with another one. She also believed that the people were still inside of her, spying on her. She was never violent but she was always talking to people that weren't there. She would often yell at them, sometimes saying "Get out of my crotch!" It was funny. The fact that she was ill was not funny but the stuff she would say and do sometimes was funny. She knew it and would laugh at herself. She tried to make the best out of life.

 

After she died I was very sad becuase I thought about what a sh!tty life she had. My Mom was having the same thoughts too. Then I started thinking it is not fair for me to call Aunt Marlene's life sh!tty. She had her problems and the way and time she died was unfortunate. It sucked that she died around Christmas. She loved getting and giving presents. She didn't get to celebrate that her last year. She did have some good times and was able to have a fairly good life for a person so mentally ill. Living with my Mom, she had a nice room, got to shop (which she loved), and got to be part of our immediate family (her sons had their own problems - not much contact with them). Aunt Marlene was always a big help to my Mom too, she liked to do dishes. Aunt Marlene even went out to the movies sometimes with a lady from Social Services. She has more than a lot of people in her situation. She made the best of her life and I have to tell myself and my Mom that it was not a bad life.

 

Aunt Marlene has always been an ispiration to me. It is because of her that I have always had an interest in psychology. I want to be a psychologist and I hope to help people like Aunt Marlene. I want to find a way to prevent people from going through the same things she went through. I hope I can live up to that and honor her.