"Every time Linda Feldman visits her husband, Michael O'Reilley, in memory care, he falls in love with her again. He has Alzheimer's and does not remember their nearly four decades of marriage - only the feeling that they belong together. So he proposes, again and again. And Linda always says yes. The couple's story shows what Alzheimer's can take - and what it often leaves behind."
"Feldman and O'Reilley met while serving as Alameda County public defenders. She remembers watching him in the courtroom and feeling charmed by his style, cadence, and presence - a feeling that was mutual. He told her he fell in love the day they met. "He had a gift," Feldman said, recalling the days she'd watch him at work. They began dating. Both were recently divorced, each with young children from previous marriages."
"One night, after the pair had been living together for some time, a stranger rang the doorbell asking for jumper cables for his stalled car. Feldman went to the door but, wary for her safety, spoke to him through the glass. "I'll ask my husband," she told him. Moments later, O'Reilley's oldest daughter bolted toward the door, shouting, "They're not married!" The moment marked a shift."
Linda Feldman visits husband Michael O'Reilley in memory care; he repeatedly falls in love with her, proposing again and again and she says yes. He has Alzheimer's and does not remember their nearly four decades of marriage but retains the feeling that they belong together. Both met while serving as Alameda County public defenders and were charmed by each other's courtroom presence. A family incident prompted marriage and the couple married 38 years ago. They built a blended family, worked on cases together, and traveled internationally. Alzheimer's affects more than 7 million Americans age 65 and over.
Read at The Mercury News
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