Actress Rita Wilson Seeks God’s Wisdom After Her Mother Was Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s

Published: July 7, 2021

Actress Rita Wilson Seeks God’s Wisdom After Her Mother Was Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s

By Movieguide® Staff

Actress Rita Wilson asked some of her toughest spiritual questions after her mother was diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

“It’s the worst kind of thief that comes and steals your memory. My mom was 93 when she passed away and she had active Alzheimer’s for about four years,” Wilson recalls in an interview with Parade magazine.

“One day, when she was lying in bed, could not move and could not speak, my priest came over. It just so happened that all the family was there, and I said, ‘I don’t get it. Why is my mom still here? Why doesn’t God take her?'”

Wilson’s questions echo those of many people who have dealt with the emotional trauma of losing a loved one to dementia.

The priest, though, was able to offer Wilson’s family comfort.

“He said, ‘Well, she’s still teaching you. Look, you’re all here around her. She’s brought you together. She’s teaching you what family is.’ And I really thought that was one of the most beautiful things. It gave me a lot of peace,” Wilson recalled.

Wilson and her husband, Tom Hanks, are open about practicing their faith. The two attend a Greek Orthodox Church.

“God is a part of my life,” Wilson previously said. “Every single day I prayed to God for I don’t know how many years – that he would bring me somebody that I loved, that loved me in the same way and he brought me Tom. I believe in that.”