TUCKER, Ga. — Painting is a passion Consuelo Niño-Delgado can't easily forget.
"Really, it is a gift from God. Some people write, some people dance, but for me, it has been since I was a child," she said.
At 79 years old, she still loves to create. She has a lot of life to draw inspiration from, but looking back, it is easy to see all that's been lost.
"I take medicine for Alzheimer’s, but it doesn't bother with the painting," Niño-Delgado said.
An estimated 6.7 million people in the United States age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's dementia, according to the latest data from the National Institutes of Health. It's expected that number will grow to 9 million by 2030.
So much is lost with each new diagnosis as people start to lose parts of themselves. Niño-Delgado's skill paints past the statistics.
She's creating a new landscape, yet there is so much of her that remains familiar: her friendship, her smile, and her passion are still the same.
The disease colors everything - but it can't take her faith and it can't touch her technique.
Consuelo Niño-Delgado painter | PHOTOS
"I said, 'You know what? This lady really has some talent,' and I just kept challenging her," said Coventry Place Activity Director Colleen Lazenby.
She noticed Niño-Delgado and saw the color she added to the world.
"I am thankful and I am so amazed by what she can still do. Even though she has Alzheimer’s, you would never know it by her paintings," Lazenby said.
Niño-Delgado stopped painting when she was first diagnosed with the disease.
Her canvas was blank, and Lazenby inspired her to pick up her brush. The two work together every day now to illustrate a new outlook on life.
Consuelo Niño-Delgado paintings | Photos
"I started setting her up in here, and the walls just kept filling up, and she jokes about it and says, 'this is my studio,'" Lazenby said. "It's my office but it's really her studio."
Her memories may fade but her trust in Lazenby and her passion for painting remain bold.
"There are days when she really needs guidance. She looks to me for guidance and I guess that's why we are so close," said Lazenby.
Lazenby adds that there's more to art than the strokes that make it on canvas.
"Beauty, love, compassion - she is just showing the world masterpieces of what she still can do. And every day is a blessing," said Lazenby.
Every day, Niño-Delgado picks up a brush to create a new masterpiece and a new way to remember herself.