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Woman with dementia gets surprise ‘she will never forget’

By Claudia Bellofatto, Reporter, WCJB

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Luckily, the moment was filmed so it’s one that will live on forever. But, even without the video, it doesn’t seem like the memory will be lost for anyone any time soon.

Miss Betty Daniels has suffered from dementia for ten years. She spends most of her days watching and singing along to the gospel channel, which is not surprising to her children, Vanessa Hutchinson and Robert Frazier. Miss Betty grew up singing and playing in the church where she was also a pastor.

While music will always be something Betty knows best, there’s one gospel singer that has sparked an interest in Betty the most-- Pastor Brian Courtney Wilson.

“Something gravitated her towards him,” Hutchinson said, “It was just something about him that she loved ... she started calling him her husband.”

After seeing her love for Wilson grow, Betty’s children and hospice nurse decided to take a chance.

“I went to his Facebook page,” Betty’s nurse, Mary Mack, said.

“I just sent him a messenger request, thinking ‘I am never going to hear back but it’s worth a try’. He responded within thirty minutes,” she said.

Two weeks later, they made it happen and caught it all on video. And while the moment has passed, it’s not one that will be easy to forget.

“It was a very special moment for her. As much as dementia deals with memory, I don’t think she will ever forget it,” Hutchinson said.