Betty Pettit was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease 11 years ago
@joshpet/TikTok
Betty Pettit, who became an online sensation for sharing her journey with Alzheimer’s, passed away at 86 years old on July 19.
The news was shared by her youngest son, Josh Pettit, in a heartfelt Facebook post. Betty was a resident of Mooresville, North Carolina, and had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease 11 years prior.
“This has been a journey and we are so grateful for all the love and support our family has received,” Josh wrote. “We will continue to share about this horrible disease and try to help as many people as we can who are dealing with this.”
On July 28, Josh also shared a touching Instagram photo of himself holding hands with Betty just before she passed away.
“On the left holding mom’s hand in January of this year. On the right July 17th. Two days before her death. We put her to bed. I went and sat with her. She held my hand and just talked and talked. I couldn’t understand anything she said but when I would respond she was happy I was listening to whatever she was telling me,” he shared.
“Keeping a loved one at home until the end is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a lot. But moments like that bring joy even in the final days, and I have no regrets about the care we provided,” he added with a heavy heart.
According to Betty’s obituary, a funeral service will be hosted at Cavin Cook Funeral Home in Mooresville on Sunday, Aug. 4.
Betty first became a viral sensation during a family Thanksgiving trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in 2021. Josh captured a charming video of his mother chatting with what she thought was another person in the mirror, unaware it was her own reflection.
“I can’t remember her name,” Betty says in the video. “That’s Betty,” Josh replies. “I’m Betty,” she responds. “Well, she’s Betty, too,” Josh adds back.
Betty amusingly concluded, “Okay. Alright. We got that settled. Now I’m gonna get a good night’s sleep. Thank you.”
The video was uploaded to TikTok that same day and quickly went viral.
