His specially built chair in the family room became the center of family life - the place for socializing and eating meals. Kiner noticed a similar result. I got to be with my kids when they were smaller. I guess I got to see them grow up. Stages don't always go in the same order, and new losses may reawaken the pain of old losses.
Larger losses produce deeper grief and take longer to recover from.
Marlatt and his family created a good life after he stopped working, adding equipment and adapting their house as his LGMD progressed. Then his wife was found to have cancer, and she died at age 50. Around the time of her illness, Marlatt was losing his ability to walk. At about age 60, he was faced with increasing disability and loss of the person he'd relied on most for help. During that period, he underwent some depression, but has largely bounced back.