Woman with Alzheimer's has the best reaction to learning she's been married to her husband for 40 years

Long-term illness is heartbreaking and exhausting for both the patient and their family. It is like traveling in a long tunnel full of darkness, where every speck of light feels like a blessing from God. Through it all, the love people share for each other gives them the strength to face it all. It is evident in the video uploaded by Molly Bell Deaton–who goes by @mollybelldeaton on TikTok—which features her mother just out of her appointment, being hit by pleasant news from her daughter. The news was related to her husband. It was heartening to see that even after 4 decades of togetherness, their connection remains as strong as ever.

Deaton puts into words beautifully the enduring love between her parents in the caption, "It always turns to Dad. She looks for him constantly. Their love is so special." Her mother had just come out of her doctor's appointment. As per the text overlay, she has Stage 6 Alzheimer's disease. The condition makes it difficult for people to retain memories, even of close ones. She does not remember her daughter or husband because of the condition. People have to remind the mother of her relationships with her husband and daughter and whenever she learns that she has been with her husband for 4 decades, a smile automatically arrives on her face. Despite all the struggles, their love for each other shines through.

As soon as the video begins, Deaton hits her mother with, "I think y'all been married for 40 years." The mother's reaction to it is beyond cute. She looks at the camera and squeaks, "Really!! Oh, my gosh. We are." The daughter reassures her that she has been married to that fine man for 4 decades and all she can say is, "That's great. Awesome." The conversation then drifted to make-up. Both of them chatted about how Deaton was decked up. They promised to hold a joint make-up session with each other. Despite the mother not having the memories of their relationship, the spark of their bond is still alive and well.

The comment section also got emotional seeing the video. @littleblue23x2 wrote how even her mother, despite losing all the memories, always responds to her, "Aww. My mom has Alzheimer's and is nonverbal now and the only words she still can say is 'I love you' whenever she sees me. I miss conversations." @johnsjacobsjinglehimer commented how her parents are the same, "My daddy has dementia and pouts if my mother is not around. They've been married 50 years." @bbdreaaaa showered appreciation on the mother, "She is such the sweetest. You can tell she's just a naturally nice and beautiful person inside and out! Praying she never loses that." @thatgrlbree loved everything about the video, "What a beautiful soul! Her energy radiates through the screen." @kendall_w00d shared a heartwarming revelation, "I worked as a caregiver for Alzheimer's patients for a bit, they grew to become some of my dearest friends and I learned so many valuable life lessons, I got a tattoo to remind me of them every day."

You can follow Molly Bell Deaton (@mollybelldeaton) on TikTok for more of her journey with her mother's Alzheimer's.