[.ca] Losing My Mind: An Intimate Look at Life with Alzheimer's (ISBN 0743205669)

From Amazon.com:
This first-person account of Alzheimer's ties several powerful stories together. Losing My Mind blends personal history with the fear and pain of developing the disease at the age of 57; it is both a sadly fascinating account of Alzheimer's progression and an attempt for the writer to remember his past before it is gone for good. While his history is recounted in chronological order, these memories--of his childhood; marriage to his wife, Joyce; their years in writing and politics; his passion for herbs and the growing of a successful business--are interspersed with unrelated musings on everything from his cat's sudden deafness to losing his wallet. Clips from articles on Alzheimer's research are sprinkled around, and statistics like the $174,000 that a patient spends on the disease over a lifetime are sobering. Throughout the book, he clearly speaks of his diagnosis as a "sentence"; the lack of a cure is dwelt on in many sections, and a story about an accidental overdose of his prescriptions is particularly grim. This is not a book that supplies any "power of positive thinking" messages, but instead shows the daily struggle of a man coming to terms with a terrible disease. Poignant and thoughtful, DeBaggio's life will hold meaning for anyone who has been touched by Alzheimer's. --Jill Lightner

Yes, There's a thinking Human inside an Alzheimer Diagnosis:
As a reader who has progressed from mild to moderate Alzheimer's \oALZ aka CRS\csince January, 2002; and who is acutely aware of his own Rapid Onset in a Late Onset prognosis, I begged my Caregiver to order this for me asap, which she did. My own CRS has caused me to become unable to view complicated movies such as "Iris" and "Godsford Park" or multilayered television such as "West Wing" or "CSI." Similarly, the ability to complete reading a book more than 3 or 4 pages at a time has departed, never to return. But, like when I received "The Forgetting" by Shenk, I was able to read this 207 page saga, cover to cover, in less than a single 24 hour time span, aka "one day". My window of clarity, which happens less than once a quarter, gave me the grace to assimilate deBaggio's message, just as I was able to do before I became an Emeritus Professor in 1993. The writing by DeBaggio is superb, his poetry shines on every page! And he has been blessed with outsanding collaborators and editors who polished his rough diamond into the superb blue white gem which "Losing My Mind" is. De Baggio does NOT record a descent to madness, but rather an ascent into a Mount Carmel of shining sanity, despite his testimony to the contrary. The literature of ALZ is overwhelmed with desciptions, diagnoses,and understandings for/of the saintly Caregivers and facilitators who guide our descent into a Dante inferno. BUT, there is next to nothing wherein the person diagnosed with Alzheimer's tells us what is going on inside their crania. "Speaking with Alzheimer's" and "Into the Labyrinth \oout-of-print\c" are two other exceptions. Once we are diagnosed, it is as if we no longer are sentient human beings, capable of intellectual cognition. Our ability to convery our intelligence and meanings to others does deteriorate rapidly, particulary with aphasia, but the human entity is still there and functioning even though the ability to respond has vanished: i.e. a CRSer hears and understands all that is said in his/her presence, even though the ALZer cannot communicate that understanding. Inspired by DeBaggio, I, too, have commenced a Journal of sorts, with the hope of telling others exactly what my sensations are as my hippocampus turns into Gorgonzola. {In my own situation, I have rewired my brain to eliminate frustration over a lack of word recall, and working memory recall, with the help of positive reinforcement, Qi Gong Nirvana state deep meditation, Vitamin B6, B12,E, and Aricet. Thus I have forced a window of clarity to write this critique, and DeBaggio has given this clinically diagnosed unipolar Depressive and CRSer hope that he can aid others before I am unable to lift my head or swallow. Like DeBaggio, the light at the end of my tunnel is an ALZ locomotive, at full speed, headed towards my demise, yet like him, I hope I can locate an agent, collaborator, and editor, so that my own Pilgrim's Progress will be a gift to my seven children and eleven grandchildren, {I include Andrew!}, when the words jumble and chaos reigns supreme, as it already has commenced. Thank you very much Thomas, for your Augustinian "Confession!" I wish all of us fellow travelors, a "Safe Return."

Remarkably beautiful and touching!:
It is a provocative memoir of a man who courageously sharing with the world some of its last moment of having a memory or human's most important asset that defined us all in this world. This book provides a glimpse of the Alzheimer's dim world besides exposing human's natural reaction of disbelief, denial, anger, fear and misery when unexpectedly been granted to such fate. The author is very open in revealing his raw emotion and perception on what he's going through and what lies ahead of him and the impact of such ailment to his loved one. The narrative is beautifully written with piercing essence; the thought and feeling expressed is real and very affecting to any soul who realise that as aging is never an option there's always possibility that we or someone we loved would be destined to such ending fate. Tragic if it happened too early. It taught the importance to make the most of every passing moment in life and to fight till the end of what's left of sanity. This book is worth reading, and gives a clearer understanding about the illness. Even though the description of the author's suffering is heartbreaking but his fighting spirit should be commendable. The humanity that he believe and fight shines and touches me through the words written. I wish him all the best, and to his loved one may all the good memories stay alive even though he may reside in his own world one day. Well, nothing is more important than having a memory thus it should be cherished as far as we still live.

Opening Our Eyes:
"Losing My Mind" is a well-written book authored by an ex-journalist gone herb-grower who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease at the age of fifty-seven in 1999. The book is a personal account of one man's struggle with dementia accompanied by an autobiography. Along with these two themes, Mr. DeBaggio inserts clippings from his own research on the disease in every few pages. This is a great read for anyone who would like to venture into the mind of someone suffering from Alzheimer's. But be warned, the book does not contain any sparks of hope or messages of positive thinking. Readers are likely to become sad and feel slightly depressed from this book that is probably meant to "share some grief." The book is a sincere , raw and from the heart look at a frightening disease that will most likely affect even more Americans as the "Baby-boomer" generation embarks on its golden years. This book is a must for anyone who has a family member diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. It provides insight into the moods, fears and anger of those suffering from it; this is especially important for families who have trouble getting their loved ones to open up and share what they're going through. I salute Mr. DeBaggio for having the courage to share his inner-most feelings with all those interested in learning more about this insidious disease. May his fear abate and his arms embrace the love that his family is giving him.

A Very Honest Look Inside:
I found Mr. Debaggio's book to be a very honest, raw and from the heart look at Alzheimer's Disease from the inside. He has illuminated a dark place and his words will help those of us who have cared for or will care for an Alzheimer's patient. This book is a must for caregivers as well as health care professionals.

A Unique Look Into the World of Alzheimer's:
Highly recommended read for caregivers of loved ones with dementia, as well as everyone else with aging loved ones. You will have a new level of understanding and deeper compassion about what it is really like to be afflicted with this horrible disease. Although everyone who battles Alzheimer's is different, the insight here is so unique and so worthy of our attention. Everyone needs to help fight for research dollars from our government to combat this disease, which afflicts one in ten persons by the age of 65. Jacqueline Marcell, author, 'Elder Rage', and host of the 'Coping With Caregiving' Internet Radio Program