MJ Grant, from Maine, US, shared a touching video of the moment her mum Carmen, 76, who is deaf, recognised her.
As the pair chat away in sign language, it soon becomes clear to MJ that her mum, who was diagnosed with dementia seven years ago, doesn’t know who she is.
MJ, a self-employed sign language interpreter, uploaded the moving clip to Facebook, where it’s since been viewed nearly two million times.
She wrote: “Dementia can be beautiful. Yesterday I took my mother for a ride to the beach.
“Taking her out of her element (my home, where she lives) can be confusing for her.
“Within the confusion there can be such beauty and sweet little surprises. I simply adore her.”
In the clip MJ tried to jog her mum’s memory without being too forceful, by asking her: “Where’s MJ?”
Carmen replies: “I forget”, as she says she saw her “a long time ago, maybe Christmas.”
Not disheartened, MJ asks her mum where 'MJ' is right now, Carmen replies “I have no idea”, and asks her daughter “if she’s met MJ”.
Full of love and patience, MJ tries a different approach to try and get her mum to remember.
She says: “Did you know I have deaf parents?
“My mother and father are deaf.”
Intrigued, Carmen says: “I have to meet them” – again not realising she’s talking about herself.
Instead Carmen asks where MJ’s mum is from and her age, and when MJ tells her ‘76’, she cheekily replies: “Oh, 70s, So she’s older.
“I don’t know who she is.”
As MJ continues to gently remind Carmen, telling her that her mum used to live in Sanford, and Carmen, who still hasn’t realised, says: “I used to live in Sandford.”
MJ then tries to bring other family members into the conversation as she desperately tries to get her mum to remember, telling her: “Manley is my father”.
And that's when it all comes rushing back for the mum-of-two.
As Carmen suddenly realises she's talking to her own flesh and blood, in shock she asks: “Did I give birth to you?”, before immediately reaching over to give her daughter a hug.
Carmen puts her hands on her face in shock and says: “I’m your mother. I’m so surprised.”
The memories come flooding back as the pair embrace, as Carmen remembers her other daughter LouAnn, saying: “Oh yes, it’s the two of you.”
NHS lists early signs of dementia
- Slowness of thought
- Difficulty with planning
- Trouble with understanding
- Problems with concentration
- Mood or behavioural changes
- Problems with memory and language
But there’s still some foggy patches, as Carmen queries her daughter’s sign language, and MJ reveals it was her who taught her.
MJ gets the pair to look at their reflections, to see their similarities, as she tells her “You’re my mama" and Carmen strokes her daughter's arm.
The tear-jerking exchange has struck a chord with people, with thousands leaving comments on the video.
One person said: “Just seeing this for the first time. So emotional, and beautiful.”
Another said: “That must have been such a great moment for this girl to see her mom recognise her.”
And a third said: “The patience and unconditional love in this video is so beautiful.”
In more heart-wrenching news, we shared one woman’s story of the first time she met her birth mother.
And these parents reveal the truths on motherhood, including when they started exercising again.
Plus this thoughtful mum gave out 200 gift bags filled with earplugs and sweets on a flight with her new-born.
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