
By Emily Patrick
GREENVILLE – The month of June in the Moosehead Region marks an awakening: of buds and blooms and animals emerging from winter slumber, of the Summer Solstice, outdoor activity and of memories made with family. Nationwide, June is also Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, and this June, we hope the awakening brings awareness.
The Boucher Family emigrated from Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides in the Quebec region of Canada circa 1951. The family patriarch, August, moved his family to Maine because he worked in the logging industry and often spent time in Kokadjo. The time away from his wife and children ultimately made Greenville “home” for the whole family, which was reasonable at the time considering they were only moving eight children to an entirely new country.
Jeanine Plourde, the “baby” of the Boucher family at 82, was gracious enough to let the Moosehead Lakeshore Journal into her home to tell her family’s story, with the oldest of the Boucher sisters, Louise, 92 years beautiful, sitting appropriately at the head of the table.
When the Boucher children moved from Quebec to the Moosehead Region of Maine, they spoke only French. Still, the adjustment was seamless for the younger kids. Jeanine recalls they moved at the beginning of the summer and played with the neighborhood kids, picking up words naturally. When they started school, they had no trouble assimilating.
It’s very clear talking to Jeanine, whom I’ve known for years: she speaks like a true Mainer. Her older sister Louise, however, has a strong French tilt. She tells me, almost apologetically, her pronunciation is “not good” sometimes, but I understand her perfectly well and think nothing of her voice other than it is beautiful and enchanting and represents so much of Maine’s patchwork heritage.
Growing up, the girls “always got along.” Jeanine’s favorite memories of the entire family together are Christmas and Easter. When they were kids, they never had more than one gift because they had such a big family, and more often than not they received clothes and not toys but, “We all thought it was great… Didn’t mind that at all.” Simply because they were all together on these special occasions.
In high school, Jeanine, Simone, Rachel and Yo were all on the same basketball team. The younger girls went to school in Greenville while the older sisters were working or, sometimes, teaching, the younger kids. The older girls were freshmen in high school when the family moved to Maine and, instead of continuing their education, they entered the workforce. It was not unusual at the time.
As they grew up, got married and started families of their own, the Boucher siblings all remained close. In recent years, however, an unexpected challenge has tested their bond like nothing before. Of the eight Boucher children, four out of the seven girls have now been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s: Simone, “Yo,” Rachel and Doris. There is no known family history of the disease, and no one in the family can point to any one lifestyle factor that may have contributed to half of the siblings getting Alzheimer’s. The girls’ mother lived to be 104 and was “sharp as a tack” up until the very end. Their father lived to be 84 and never showed any signs of Alzheimer’s or dementia. All of the women who have since contracted the disease were generally active and healthy throughout their lives. The affliction truly is a mystery.
Still, the Boucher sibling bond is unbreakable. When I spoke to Jeanine and Louise, they had just finished visiting their other sisters in the nursing home that morning. Though Rachel, Yo, Doris and Simone don’t remember Jeanine and Louise due to Alzheimer’s, Jeanine thinks it’s important to visit them regularly, even if she doesn’t stay very long. She admits she does miss her siblings, even though she’s able to visit three of them often. The disease has affected all of the sisters differently, as well: some sing and laugh, some talk low and mumble. One has been able to keep her mind to some degree and recognizes her siblings, while the others don’t seem to at all.
The Boucher sisters who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s didn’t have a family history of the disease. They were active and healthy. They didn’t have any of the risk factors for Alzheimer’s, yet the disease has still ravaged this family. This highlights the need for more research and awareness, which is what June’s Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness month is all about, and what Purpleville is striving for.
When I asked Jeanine how this disease has affected the family, she just shrugs and says, “What can you do?” The truth is, Jeanine and Louise are doing all they can do: showing up for their siblings, and loving them unconditionally. Their strength and positive outlook is something we should all admire and, if we can, we should do our part to help by being informed and supporting causes like Purpleville and Brain Awareness Month. I want to thank the Boucher family for sharing their story with all of us, and hope it inspires someone to learn more or even get involved in this very important cause.