Life Loop, Alzheimer's made me Remember
A Daughter's Memoir
I’m a forty-something college graduate—though the last six years has made me feel a bit older. Wiser? Maybe. Empathetic? Compassionate? Yes! For these past six years, I’ve balanced college (where I obtained a Masters degree in History), work (I'm a self-employed sewing and designing with textiles), and family, including my Mom, diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. As I watched my Mom suffer, I remembered who she was before and wondered what she was going through. I worried what she understood, but could no longer express, whom I might become in ten to fifteen years myself.
During the worst of my Mom’s Alzheimer’s, my stepfather died suddenly. Afterward, I found a binder filled with love letters from their courtship. Though I never read the letters, they spurred memories of other loves and losses. Their courtship letters also inspired me to write vignettes about my life with my Mom, and our experiences with Alzheimer’s.
The result is Life Loop, Alzheimer's made me Remember, an emotionally raw brave memoir presenting my experiences with life and death decisions for my Mom, and how my life with her influenced my choices as an adult, as her daughter, ultimately strengthening me.
After completing my first draft, I nervously shared it with a few friends. I didn’t expect the positive responses I received: “I thought I only felt like that. I don’t feel so alone now.” “You described what I was feeling. You helped me heal.” “I want to write a memoir to help me heal. Can you help?” “If it helped me, it can help others too."
I'm currently revising Life Loop....