Herzig Chris

Article by Erika Glasberg
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September 21, 2012

Chris Herzig was diagnosed with vascular dementia nearly a decade after having two strokes. His short term memory has been affected, however he can still create art which was showcased with various other pieces at the Cornwall Regional Art Gallery in a show called "What our eyes can see.

There are many different forms and stages of dementia and Alzheimer Disease but having the illness doesn't make a person incapable of living. This is the message that was passed along to those who visited the Cornwall Regional Art Gallery as artwork from those who are dealing with the impact of memory loss in the Day Away program, hosted by the Alzheimer Society of Cornwall & District, was displayed in a show called "What our eyes can see.''

The art show came just in time for World Alzheimer's Day today. Chris Herzig is among the members dealing with dementia and showed some of his impressive paintings. "I always liked painting, even in school I liked painting," he said at the Gallery in front of his work.

Shortly after asking him a series of questions, he called over his wife, Kathy, who replied "All the years he's been in my life, he's always been good at this.'' To which Herzig joked "I have to impress the ladies.''

About a decade after moving to the Russell area from Switzerland, Herzig suffered from two massive strokes that left him blind and paralyzed for a number of years, but that didn't stop him.

Beating the odds, Herzig nearly fully recovered, only needing eyeglasses to see. "The stroke (I thought) was so bad, it changed our lives.'' Kathy said.

But more bad luck would soon hit the family again when he was diagnosed with vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer disease. Vascular dementia is caused when there is problems with the supply of blood that gets to the brain. "(Dementia) has to be the most devastating disorder or disruption of your life,'' Kathy explained. "Still to this day it's hard to accept.''

The couple had to give up their large dairy farm because Herzig wasn't able to remember how to do his daily chores and "couldn't even remember how to turn on his tractor," Kathy explained.

"The hardest part about this disease is that most people don't notice, it's hard to explain to people, so I just gave up,'' she said.

"People give us a hard time because they say ''but he looks fine'' because he walks and talks. You just have to learn to let it go. This is life and life is full of obstacles. You have to learn to accept it.''

Luckily, the couple were able to find help after stumbling into a woman at a coffee shop, whose husband also suffered from dementia, mentioned the day program the Alzheimer Society offered.

The "Day Away" program offers the primary caregiver with a necessary break by allowing them to spend the day as they wish while their loved ones spend the day enrolled in various planned activities in a social and safe atmosphere with trained
professionals and volunteers.

"You feel extreme guilt when you leave them because you always feel like you're neglecting your partner (or loved one). But there's always exceptions,'' said Kathy. "Those days he's at the program, I don't feel guilty."

"I talk to him about everything. It's heartbreaking, but we're fortunate regardless of this disability,'' Kathy said.