Dementia stole my grandmother from us. I am fighting to give families more time

My big, Italian family revolved around my grandmother: a feisty daughter of immigrants fighting for the American dream in Queens, New York. No one was a stranger in her home; she cooked, laughed, and welcomed everyone. My mother joked that the boys she brought home ended up falling in love with my grandmother, instead. Always bold and unapologetic, Grandma would take us to the movie theater and shout commentary over the dialogue as we muffled our embarrassed laughter.

Then, something changed.