67-year-old Steve Goodwin was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease almost three years ago. He was forced to give up his job as a software designer because of the illness. But, his wife Jonie says the hardest part about all this is that Steve can no longer remember the songs he has composed on the piano over the years.
Throughout his life Steve has written over 24 songs on the piano. Most were written for Jonie and serve as the soundtrack to their lives. She says, "loosing the songs would be like loosing him". Unfortunately, Steve never wrote down those songs. So as his memory started fading, so did pieces of all the songs.
Then one day a family friend and pianist named Naomi stepped in. She offered to help reconstruct the songs using the bits and pieces Steve still could play from memory. Note by note, Naomi slowly helped Steve recover his songs. She also made sure to record every finished piece so it wouldn't be forgotten again. And with Naomi's help Steve was able to write an entirely new song.
Steve continually forgets conversations and can no longer add numbers, but music still lives inside of him. What a special memory these songs are for Steve's family. They will cherish these forever. Our prayers go out to Steve and his family during this hard time.
