After a long flight from Mexico City to Pittsburgh, I sat beside my mother in her memory care room and read her Yabbit the Rabbit. Hours later, surrounded by lifelong friends and her favorite song, she took her final breath. This post reflects on her passing and explains what families can expect in the final stage of Alzheimer’s.

That evening the call came: Mom’s health had taken a turn for the worse. She had lost her speech, was resting on the floor instead of her bed, and the end of her life seemed near. In this emotional post I share what late-stage Alzheimer’s looks like—and why our children’s book Yabbit the Rabbit now carries a deeper meaning.