In a YouTube video with the title 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 expecting this today. It turned out to be the worst day of my life鈥� Joey Daley sits across from his mother, Molly, in a fast-food restaurant in Dublin, Ohio.
As a camera records their conversation, Daley asks her if she knows who his mother is. Molly appears confused and asks him to repeat the question. After Daley presses her for an answer a few more times, his mother responds: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know. Who is she?鈥�
A minute later, Daley asks Molly with an audible trepidation in his voice, 鈥淲ho am I?鈥�
Daley鈥檚 mother quickly answers that she doesn鈥檛 know and a short silence follows.
After he drops his mother off at the nursing home where she lives, Daley breaks down in his car.
鈥淗ardest day of my life...when your mother doesn鈥檛 know who you are. She knows my name but doesn鈥檛 know who I am,鈥� he said through tears. 鈥淚 feel like she just died.鈥�
was the sixth episode in a weekly YouTube series he began in January, to document his mother鈥檚 struggle with Lewy Body Dementia (LBD).
The emotional video struck a nerve with viewers, attracting more than two million views and thousands of comments. To date, Daley has , which have been viewed more than 80 million times.
In a conversation with CTV鈥檚 Your Morning on Wednesday, Daley explained why he decided to record his mother鈥檚 battle with dementia and share it with the public. He said he noticed his family and friends were having trouble grasping the magnitude of the impact of the disease when he tried to explain it to them. That鈥檚 when he realized they needed to see it for themselves, Daley said.
鈥淲hen they see the videos they laugh, they cry, they鈥檙e shocked,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I went through and that鈥檚 what caregivers and people who have dementia go through on a daily basis. I think once you see it, it helps people really understand what the disease is.鈥�
Daley said he hopes his videos will help viewers understand dementia and the impact it can have on caregivers. He said people from around the world who have never even heard of the disease have started following his YouTube videos.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e reconnecting with family members, fathers, mothers that they haven鈥檛 spoken to in years some of them,鈥� Daley shared. 鈥淚t鈥檚 touching people in ways that we didn鈥檛 think that it would.鈥�
For the most part, Daley said Molly is aware when they鈥檙e filming segments for the series. His mother knows they鈥檙e trying to help others dealing with dementia with the videos, he said.
Molly was diagnosed with LBD approximately two and a half years ago, but Daley said he first noticed her difficulty comprehending things at work 10 to 12 years ago. He said her condition has progressively gotten worse in the past two years, but that she still has her good days.
鈥淗er mind is really unravelling,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen I鈥檓 walking down that hall getting ready to walk into her room I never know what I鈥檓 going to walk into.鈥�
As his mother鈥檚 dementia worsens, Daley said he has been forced to become stronger as her caregiver.
鈥淭he most difficult part is watching her deteriorate on a daily basis. Each time I鈥檓 with her I know that the next time is probably going to be a little bit worse,鈥� Daley said.
Despite the difficulties, Daley said he cherishes the time he can still spend with his mother.
鈥淭here鈥檚 still a lot of her personality that shines through,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are moments that I enjoy.鈥�
