She lost her memory to dementia but every time her husband sang a Doris Day song, her eyes lit up

A woman’s grandmother was a living example of how deep-rooted some connections can be. Despite being diagnosed with dementia, she never forgot her husband or their signature call-and-response catchphrase. Bridgette (@bmilam1 on TikTok) posted an endearing compilation of her grandma perfectly recalling her part of the catchphrase, even though she had forgotten almost everything else.

Dorothy Bagley, diagnosed with dementia in 2021, struggled to recognize people and places once dear to her. However, one thing that never faded from her memory was her 89-year-old husband, Merv Bagley. In the viral video posted by Bridgette, Merv says to his wife, "A bushel and a peck, a hug around the neck," to which she responds perfectly, "And to the moon!" The video has since been viewed 6.4 million times, and Bridgette added in a text overlay, "One thing dementia didn't take away from her was her love for him. She was able to say this in her last days. This is what true love looks like. Forever thankful he loved her through her hardest days." People on social media couldn't stop gushing over their bond.

For instance, @liketurtles wrote, "I think she made it to the moon." Another follower, @zoey added, "They'll be dancing on the moon one day." @taylorpardue19 gushed, "So bittersweet, I'm glad she never forgot such a beautiful thing!" @jewderp wished to experience a similar love story, "The way she says to the moon. I just want to experience love like that." 

Meanwhile, others shared their own stories, like @wonumo, who commented, "My grandpa also had dementia, and he forgot all of our names, except my grandma's." @bbygirlbriz shared a similar experience, "My grandma had Alzheimer's and the only person she could remember was my grandpa. When he passed it got so much worse." @isa got emotional, "My grandad has dementia and this genuinely made me sob this is adorable [weep]." 

In an interview with PEOPLE, Bridgette revealed that the catchphrase between her grandma and grandpa was a ritual they began nearly a decade ago while driving, inspired by the song "A Bushel and a Peck" from the "Guys and Dolls" musical. She said, "They started singing it often and it started from there. It just became another way that they told each other how much they loved each other. [Merv] made sure to say it a lot more these last three years and [Dorothy] would never skip a beat." 

According to Bridgette, their love story was meant to be. The couple first met in 2001, both sharing a passion for dancing. They eloped in 2003 and spent the rest of their lives dancing and enjoying each other’s company. "Merv was exactly what [Dorothy] was missing in her life. He was the first man who came in and loved her like she deserved," she gushed. Together, they worked at the same shoe store until they retired, then spent their time dancing, hiking and riding motorbikes. In a nutshell, as Bridgette put it, "They had the best time together."

Unfortunately, they had to stop dancing due to Dorothy’s dementia. Though the couple laughed through life, it wasn’t always easy. In 2004, just a year after they married, Dorothy was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. "[But], Merv held her hand through it all. He loved her unconditionally," Bridgette shared.

You can follow Bridgette (@bmilam1) for more content related to hiking and her grandparents.