Gabrielle Union is raising awareness about dementia after revealing on social media that her father recently passed away from the disease.
What did Gabrielle Union say about her father’s passing?
On Saturday, the actor shared an emotional tribute on Instagram about her father, Sylvester “Cully” Union Jr., who had a yearslong battle with dementia before his death.
“No matter how much you think you know about dementia, nothing prepares you for the painfully slow disappearing of your loved one,” Union wrote in the post’s caption. Her father was 81.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, dementia is an umbrella term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other cognitive abilities that affect one’s daily life. While there are different forms of the disease, Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of dementia.
Union on her father’s dementia: ‘The them that you know gets smaller and smaller’
The Bring It On star revealed that her father was in the early stages of dementia, which eventually affected his ability to perform everyday tasks.
“First it’s repeating words or forgetting little things here or there, then BOOM, he can’t swallow or walk. The them that you know gets smaller and smaller. You hold out hope for sustained eye contact or a smile; even a hand squeeze can make you feel like they could come back to you ‘normal’ at any second,” Union expressed.
She continued, “It’s brutal and it’s what he experienced, but it wasn’t who he was.”
Union announced in a 2023 Instagram post that she and her family had placed her father in a memory care facility following his dementia diagnosis a few years prior.
“This process has been extremely hard on our family, with a few really painful chapters,” she wrote in November of that year, celebrating her father’s 79th birthday. “That’s why it brought tears to everyone’s eyes, watching my party loving, Crown drinking, smart ass Dad return in full form for a few hours, it was the best gift we could’ve all received.”
Union called herself a “daddy’s girl” and shared a close bond with her father
Like many other daddy’s girls, Union described her close relationship with her father. She mentioned that he instilled in her the core qualities needed to become the best version of herself.
“A lifelong, die-hard Nebraska fan, he taught me the values of teamwork, a fierce work ethic, and that you are only as strong as your weakest link, so tend to them first,” Union said, adding, “my dad was a perfectly imperfect man and father.”
She honored her father and all that he meant to her and those around him, expressing gratitude to the memory care staff and her sisters for stepping in to care for him during the final years of his life.
“It’s bewildering to feel relief that the pain has ended, but profound heartbreak at the finality of his time. I know I’m not the first or last Daddy’s girl to go through this, and I’m sending love and healing to anyone suffering the loss of a parent. I know his love is eternal and will find me in every realm,” she concluded.ve and healing to anyone suffering the loss of a parent. I know his love is eternal and will find me in every realm,” she concluded.
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