PHOTO BY SARAH CROSS / MPW.59 PHOTO BY SARAH CROSS / MPW.59
  • Keeping Jewel Alive
  • By Sarah Cross, Mother Jones Magazine
  • The 59th Missouri Photo Workshop / Chillicothe, Mo.
  • Jewel Brammer, 88, a retired farmer and preacher from Bethany, Mo. was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease 3 years ago, but has shown symptoms for nearly a decade. Doctors considered him beyond the point of no return. Angry and confused because of the disease, his family was about to place him into a nursing home when his youngest son was introduced to supplements sold at Chillicothe’s local natural food store. Jewel’s remarkable improvements have elevated his quality of life and that of his family. He has regained some of his lost memory and returned to his peaceful disposition.

    “Jewel still talks to the man in the mirror,” said Jewel’s son Randy. “But instead of yelling at him, he is laughing.” Because of his family’s devotion, Jewel is able to live out his days in his Chillicothe home surrounded by his nurturing and loving family.

    Larry and Randy Brammer help their father, Jewel, walk from his bedroom to his wheelchair in the kitchen.

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