The JoAnn Project
I am currently writing a book about Alzheimer’s, based on my journey with my beautiful mother, JoAnn. The day she phoned me to report her diagnosis, I was crushed. My focus was immediately directed toward how it would be affecting me. She was my best friend and confidant and I was about to lose her. Poor me. Question: How selfish could I be?
We were raised in a home that used laughter as a defense mechanism, a vehicle for communication, our pharmaceutical of choice. My mom had a great sense of humor and if she thought for an instant that I was wallowing in self-pity, she’d be very disappointed. In my world, having your mom state that she was “disappointed”, was worse than enduring the wooden spoon. The only obvious solution was to change MY perspective. Once that adjustment was made, I became a highly effective advocate and caretaker for her.
This project has been challenging, due to the sensitive nature of the content. I struggle with the notion that I may be perceived as “insensitive”, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Looking at select situations with a comedic eye, helps ME cope and that’s how Mom would want it. There’s also the little matter of opening up my private world to total strangers; very uncharacteristic of me. But, I understand how it feels to walk this road with someone you love and feel helpless. Granted, there’s an abundance of reference material just waiting to be Googled, but what I have valued more, is hearing from others in similar situations who validate how I am feeling. That’s when I vowed to share my experiences and begin the JoAnn Project.
Opportunities to Participate
Acknowledging that there are thousands of individuals walking the same road, I decided to divide the book into 3 sections and offer others the opportunity to participate. Each section is profiled below. If you feel your story would truly be of benefit to the reader, I would love to hear it. Please email me and indicate to which book you are interested in contributing. Your name is not required, out of respect for your privacy. Serious enquiries only!
Coping with Alzheimer’s: What I Recall
Tribute stories about a friend or loved one with Alzheimer’s and your personal walk with them. Please include the uplifting, silly and sweet moments too.
One Last Love Letter
A couple of weeks after my mother’s diagnosis, I sat down and wrote her a love letter, expressing how proud I was of her and reinforcing that she had nothing to fear “on my watch”. I knew the day would arrive when she would no longer recognize me, but she would always have that letter. If you were given the opportunity to write one last love letter and say everything you didn’t get the chance to say, how would that read? NOTE: All submissions are welcome; Not limited to AD.