A single yellow sticky note has left thousands of people online reaching for the tissues.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Originally shared Reddit by user SpiceCreamcicle in the r/pics community, the post was titled: “Mom found a note my dad wrote, before Alzheimer’s took his ability to communicate.”
What followed was a photograph of a small handwritten message — simple, slightly shaky, and devastatingly powerful.
Written on the note were the words: “P.S. I forget a lot of things but – I never forget how wonderful you are, Love Joseph”
That was it. No long speech. No dramatic farewell. Just a few lines from a husband who knew his memory was slipping away.
The post quickly resonated, drawing emotional reactions from people who saw their own families reflected in Joseph’s words.
One commenter, forlorn_pupper, wrote: “That’s so sweet. Your family is in my thoughts. I’m sitting with my mom, who is in the end stages of Alzheimer’s, right now. Luckily she probably doesn’t have to suffer much longer. It’s so hard to watch the people we love go through this. Unimaginable.”
Another user, Non_Sane, added: “I hope Alzheimer’s is cured in my lifetime, and ALS”
To which the original poster, SpiceCreamcicle, replied: “Me too. I’d really really hate to have my family go through what my mom and siblings go through. I know my dad would rather have passed away.”
Years later, the image resurfaced — this time on Instagram via the Pubity page, which recently shared it with the caption: “A husband with Alzheimer’s left behind a yellow sticky note that’s touching hearts online. With Alzheimer’s affecting more than 7 million Americans, many families saw their own stories in Joseph’s words, calling it a rare, lasting reminder of love through loss.”
The reshared post once again ignited a wave of emotion.
One person commented: “Love truly leaves a lasting mark, even through memory loss”
“That’s one of the most romantic things I’ve ever seen,” wrote one person. A third typed: “The way the handwriting gets a little shaky at the end… you can tell he was fighting to get those words down while he still could. Absolutely heart-wrenching.”
According to Alzheimer’s Research UK, as we age, our brains naturally shrink a little and our thought processes slow down. However, in Alzheimer’s disease, changes occur in the brain that are different to the changes seen in normal ageing.
Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of ageing, but the chance of developing the disease increases as we get older. Most people who have Alzheimer’s are over the age of 65, and this is called ‘late onset’ Alzheimer’s. Sometimes, Alzheimer’s can affect younger people too. At least three in every 100 people with Alzheimer’s in the UK are under 65. These uncommon cases are known as ‘young onset’ Alzheimer’s disease.
In Alzheimer’s disease, two proteins — amyloid and tau — build up in the brain.
Amyloid collects in the space between brain cells, while tau is found inside nerve cells. Although researchers do not yet fully understand what triggers this process, studies suggest that these proteins damage more and more brain cells over time.
That damage affects how the brain works and leads to dementia symptoms — including memory loss, confusion, and difficulty communicating.
Which makes Joseph’s note even more poignant.
At a time when words were becoming harder to find, he chose to write something he didn’t want forgotten.
Four lines, one promise, and a message that – years later – is still travelling across the internet — reminding families facing Alzheimer’s that while memory may fade, love can remain fiercely clear.
Featured image credit: World Manual/Reddit (screenshot)
