Chapter 1: Beginning of the End
My mom fell victim to the dark side of the internet: AI garbage, social media fakery, false advertising, and
romance scammers.
It is my belief that social media may be one of the most dangerous creations of modern times, especially for
those whose mental health is already compromised. The hatred and fear, the unrealistic expectations it can
build—with the existence of artificial intelligence, I fear it can only get much worse.
How my mom came to this point is far more complex. This was a long and emotionally painful decline.
I believe the chain of events began four to five years before her passing.
My son was born in early 2019, and around this time, my mom suddenly became lethargic. From my
perspective, she had little interest in her first and only grandchild.
It was as if she had simply lost interest in life.
No purpose or drive. Lying in bed day after day, seemingly waiting to die.
My mom had always been a busybody, maintaining the house and taking care of nearly everything. Suddenly,
she seemed like a completely different person.
Once this began, she was in and out of mental health facilities often, and I had no idea what was happening
with her.
I honestly do not know exactly what happened to this day, and I never will.
She would sleep all day and do very little, rarely ever leaving the house. This lasted for roughly a year, and it
was a very difficult year for everyone involved.
I had no experience raising children or even being around them, as I was an only child. Watching my mom
disappear just as my own challenges with parenthood had begun made it very difficult for me to be present
for her.
To my mind, things had first begun to change when she was granted disability for injuries sustained during
her time in the Navy.
She had begun a life of leisure, primarily keeping up with the house and spending her time watching TV.
Entertainment soon became her outlet—sitting in bed, watching horror movies nearly all day.
This would only become more pronounced as time went on and her mental health continued to decline.
I cannot say whether my son’s birth was a factor. At the time, however, it was the only major event I could
connect to the timing. It was the only explanation I could come up with.
I believed the anxiety involved with another child entering her life may have been too great.
Eventually, though, I began to understand the timing differently. My grandmother’s mental decline seemed a
more likely catalyst.
My grandmother had been diagnosed with dementia around the same time my mom’s issues began, and she
had been declining rapidly. Looking back, I believe the realization that she was losing her mom may have
played a significant role in my mom’s sudden decline.
Regardless of the cause, my mom eventually returned to a more stable condition after a year or so.
This lasted for a couple of years—or at least that’s how it appeared at the time.
Looking back now, with everything I am about to tell you, I don’t believe the underlying problems had
disappeared. They had simply changed into something new.
Parts of what followed were things I had already experienced through my wife.
This new affliction was not easy to spot at first. Not for me, at least.
It built and built, like a snowball becoming an avalanche.
A tragedy was already in motion.