|
By Dr. Leo Ferrari and Lorna Drew, Fredericton, NB
The Daily Gleaner Photograph. Copyright Brunswick News Inc. Any copying or redistribution of this photograph without express written consent of Brunswick News Inc. is expressly prohibited.
We wanted to do something to make a difference. We wanted to help those faced with a similar situation to somehow share our knowledge.
As authors and educators the answer was simple...a book written from two very different perspectives.
The following are excerpts from the book I have written with my wife Lorna Drew. By sharing experiences of our uninvited encounter with Dr. Alzheimer's disease we can break through the barriers of silence and loneliness. Let us speak out proudly and loudly about it -- even laugh and realize that we too have our contributions to make to the rich tapestry of human life!
The metaphor that I like is that my life is like a fog. I've lived by the sea, and I always loved the mistiness of it. You can sit on a boat and see the shore -- and sometimes you can't. If I don't write down what I did yesterday, it'll be gone. But I can still see the distant shores. I can remember my childhood vividly, but I can't remember the last few days.
-- Leo Ferrari
Stories heal, and making narrative sense of a life lived with Alzheimer's disease gives me both the perspective to stand outside events (and sometimes laugh) and the feeling that I have some sort of mastery over an illness whose symptoms more often than not play havoc with what used to be an ordinary life.
-- Lorna Drew
There are persistent signs in favour of getting tested for Alzheimer's disease... In my particular case, I had a valuable alibi -- I was a professor and dedicated professors are notoriously forgetful... I even liked the adjective absent-minded; it went with the territory. But by misreading the signs, it allowed Alzheimer's disease to destroy more of my precious memory cells!
-- Leo Ferrari
Care-giving, like child-rearing, is all too rife with opportunities for learning on the job. But I hope that what I learn as I embark on this new and unforeseen career may be of use to others.
-- Lorna Drew
Lorna and Leo's book, Different Minds, is a side-by-side account of life with Alzheimer's disease. Leo vividly describes how a person fighting Alzheimer's disease interprets his strange new world, while Lorna shares practical advice and expresses how hard she finds being both partner and caregiver. For more information on the book or to purchase a copy of the book contact the Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick.
October 2005
Back to the Stories of Hope 2005 introduction page.
|
