Why I Wrote This Memoir
Yes, my Judy is gone, and I still grieve her loss with
sadness. Watching a once so vibrant, self-reliant, and
lovely woman struggling through what normally were
routine daily activities pulled at my heartstrings, but we
survived those days together. After her diagnosis, I
pledged to myself to make her journey as peaceful and
painless as possible until the end, but that end would be
her death, nonetheless, after seven and a half years.
Poignant images of her last days still linger, but
memories of our lives together now overshadow her
passing.

Immediately after her diagnosis, I searched for
information that would help me prepare for what lay
ahead. The Alzheimer’s Association’s webpage
(alz.org) provided information about the physiology of
the disease, the characteristics of each of its seven
stages, and resources available to help provide care, but
that’s not what I was looking for. I felt a need to look
over the shoulder of someone who traveled that journey
before me so I could anticipate what to expect. Perhaps
I could come up with better solutions.

Since Judy’s and my love relationship played such a significant role in our journey together in
ameliorating the unpleasantness we faced in the latter
stages of this journey, I begin this memoir with a
prologue to illustrate the origins of that bond.