CBR: Shelf Life - Mar 10, 2011

[CBR News]

Ron Marz writes his most personal column to date, remembering how his mother encouraged a love of reading when he was a boy and detailing the long decline into dementia she's now suffering.


Full article here.

[McLauchlin]

I could totally kick 6-year-old Ron Marz' ass and take his milk money.

Jim McLauchlin

[Ravengregory]

Really beautiful article

[Evil@work]

That was like a kick to the chest. Excellent article. Great read and thanks for sharing Ron.
I lost my mother to cancer a few years ago and due to circumstances out of both of our control, I was not there for her. I applaud you and your brother.

[wildstorm3]

I remember my first comic and where I got it. It was What if...? #24 What if Wolverine had Become Lord of the Vampires? I got it from my mother at the PX in Fort Belvior, Va.

[Devil Slayer]

Wow. Ron's column this time around hit a little too close to home for me.

Discovered comics through older brother. Check.

Siblings were all considerably older so growing up as the youngest was more like being an only child. Check.

Had mom who brought home comics on a weekly basis while growing up. Check.

Lost mom to dementia. Check.

Ron, if you're checking in on the comments, I know where you're coming from. Just lost my mom last month after a long war with this terrible disease and a comparatively short but fatal battle with pneumonia. Cherish the memories, share them as much as you can with those you love, and keep connected to family and friends.

And beyond that, keep writing great comics.

DS

[Geezer D]

Ditto on the "reading my life story exactly". Last child, a "surprise", older brother's comics got me started, Mom brought home comics, Mom now has dementia.
Mom's 81 and still kinda "there" but with zero short term memory.
You're not alone in your experience, that's for sure, Ron!

[Scelestus]

Ron Marz's mom could be my grandmother. She always loved taking me to the bookstore (when they still had bookstores at the mall), and I'd be allowed one book per visit. Sometimes it took forever for me to choose, but like Ron's mom, I was never rushed.

Thanks for sharing, Ron. Those are great memories & should be cherished.

[Lt. Clutch]

My grandmother lived to age 97 but her last decade was absolutely marred by dementia. It took my mom and aunt a lot of work and effort to care for her at home until she passed away.

Grandma shared with me a great love of reading and writing. She was also a grand conversationalist. I missed the person I grew up with as the disease slowly took her away from us.

My thoughts are with you and your family, Ron.

[Ron Marz]

Thanks for the comments, everyone. I'm glad that people are having such heartfelt reactions, but sad that so many have gone through the same trials with dementia.

Thanks for reading.

[Harold Sotomayor]

Easily the best article I have read in a long while. While it may seem like it has little to do with comics themselves, anybody who has ever written anything can attest to the fact that writing is usually little more than a stylized self-portrait of the adventures, imagination, successes, and disappointments of the writer's life.

The grip of old age is the fate that awaits all of us who end up lucky enough (or unlucky enough, depending on how different people view it) to reach such an end. All too often ignored in our youth, it is a topic well worth discussing and something that affects everybody at some point or another.

[Boabie]

Incredibly sad, even painful reading, and yet it is also uplifting when we see that the love of a son can remain undimished and his devotion unflagging in the most trying of circumstances.

[HEATWAVE 2010]

Incredibly sad. I have a friend who was like a grandpa to me who has dementia. It's unbelievably sad to see someone break down like that. Best wishes to you and your family Ron.