Grandmother With Dementia Proves She Could Never Forget Dear Ol' Santa
1010 WINS- This 86-year-old great-grandmother of Albuquerque, NM had an incredible visit with Santa Claus over the Christmas holiday.
Karen Rangel, who suffers from dementia, was always fond of getting her family together to pose with Santa at the mall every year.
After being diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2014 and going into hospice care, Karen's cognitive abilities have degraded as she enters the disease's final stages.
Incredibly, Karen's ability to recognize her jolly ol' pal briefly returned when she visited him with her family for a photo shoot with Hartsocks' Photography.
Her family says that when she recognized Santa she just held on and wouldn't let go, and as you can see in the photos, Karen was perfectly content nuzzling in close.
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After their meeting, Santa himself was overcome with emotion and cried when the great-grandmother left.
The family even got a chance to pose with their beloved grandmother and Santa – a treasure they'll be able to cherish for years to come.
-Rebecca Zamer/Joe Cingrana