Dementia stole her memories, but one simple phrase from her husband always brought her back

Watching a loved one slowly slip away due to dementia is unimaginably painful. But for TikTok user @bmilam1, known as Bridgette, the experience revealed something extraordinary—the unshakeable love between her grandparents.

Throughout her grandma's battle with dementia, one thing remained constant: a phrase borrowed from Doris Day's "A Bushel and a Peck." It was their love language. Her grandpa would begin, “A bushel and a peck, a hug around the neck,” and her grandma—no matter how far into the fog of dementia she was—would finish with, “To the moon!”

"Dementia tried to take everything away, but she never forgot her part—bushel and a peck, a hug around the neck…….and to the moon!"

— @bmilam1

Bridgette captured three poignant moments in a TikTok montage that has touched hearts across the internet.

Three clips. One unforgettable phrase.

The first video shows them during healthier days, side by side, her grandpa with his arm lovingly wrapped around her shoulder. “A bushel and a peck, a hug around the neck…” he says, and she chimes in enthusiastically, “To the moon!”

In the second, they’re in a doctor’s office. Despite the clinical setting and her declining health, her response is just as emphatic. Her grandpa begins the phrase from his chair, and her answer—“To the moon!”—is filled with strength.

But the final clip is the one that truly tugs at the heart. She’s in bed, frail and fading. Her grandpa leans in and gently delivers his half of the phrase. And still, almost miraculously, she whispers back, “To the moon.” It's quiet, but powerful. Proof that love endured even when memory did not.

"One thing dementia didn’t take away from her was her love for him."

— @bmilam1

“This is what true love looks like.”

Bridgette wrote in the video: “She was able to say this on her last days. This is what true love looks like. Forever thankful he loved her through her hardest days.” Her TikTok was met with an outpouring of love and tears. “I think she made it to the moon <3,” one user commented. Another admitted, “This made me ugly cry.”

When a commenter said, “He is so strong 😭,” Bridgette replied, “He truly is so strong. He loved her so much …. 🥺💗.” Another user added, “They’ll be dancing on the moon one day :(” and Bridgette responded, “This comment 🥺 they loved to dance.”

"She never forgot me or her husband. He was her true love."

— @bmilam1

“I miss her.”

Bridgette shared more about her grandma in the comments: “My mamaw only remembered her husband and me. However she didn’t actually recognize me...we just constantly talked about me, lol.” She added that she was the only grandkid and that despite everything, her grandma never forgot her or her husband.

In her final days, Bridgette and her grandpa stayed by her side. “We held her face and hands while she took her last breath. It was heartbreaking, but such an honor to be by her side. 🥺💗...She never forgot who her husband was!”

After her passing, Bridgette continued to share glimpses of their quiet love story. Another TikTok montage shows her grandpa gently caring for his wife during her most vulnerable moments. The caption reads: “Forever thankful my mamaw had someone who was so patient and loved her through the hard days. I lost my mamaw and he lost the love of his life…. I miss her. #dementiaawareness #imissher #dementiasucks”

Love doesn’t fade

Though dementia took so much from her, it never took her love. And that’s the message Bridgette continues to share: that love, when it’s real, leaves a mark that memory loss can’t erase. Their story has resonated with millions, offering a beautiful glimpse at what it means to stand by someone until the very end.