For the Love of Mom: A Memoir

Kathy LaTocha is just another single woman in her early 40's, living a semi-normal life, when her world comes crashing in around her, leaving her with scars that will last a lifetime, but also a renewed faith in the God she had abandoned. "For the Love of Mom" is a poignant, bittersweet, yet captivating tale of Kathy's nine year journey as her Mom's caretaker after Alzheimer's (known to her as The Hated One) infiltrates their lives. While it is filled with incredible pain and bears witness to her own slow descent to the dark side of life, it is also a story of great love, enduring faith and renewed hope. Brutally honest, it offers up true emotions of caretaking that few are willing to express. Beginning with the last week of Mom's life, the story unfolds over the countless hours Kathy spends at her bedside as she slowly succumbs to The Hated One's final act of cruelty. Numb, scared and filled with a sorrow that holds no bounds, Kathy sits holding Mom's hand and travels back in time, remembering the woman who raised and loved her. She relives the moments that show Mom as the kind, gregarious, tough-as-nails, complex woman she once was. As death draws nearer, the memories of the disease itself begin to surface and Kathy relives the dark, sinister times that have led them to this final outcome. The last part of the story unveils life without Mom and Kathy's intense struggle to survive the loss, forgive herself and begin to live once again.

Author: Kathy Latocha

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Publication Date: May 10, 2014

Number of Pages: 244 pages

Binding: Paperback or Softback

ISBN-10: 1497423082

ISBN-13: 9781497423084