I meant to write about Casey Kasem when he passed away, but I knew I needed time to get my thoughts in order. We’re going on 10 months since my father’s death from Lewy Body and nearly 12 months since the onset of his decline. I knew from the moment they described Kasem as having Parkinsons […]
The Body, The Brain, and the Sucker Punch – Introduction
This series attempted to expose a debilitating disease by detailing its effects on my father. Lewy Body Dementia is a rapidly growing diagnosis as professionals discover that many previous Alzheimer’s designations may have been LBD. In the tradition of George Lucas I may edit and update some posts as we learn more. It only makes […]
The Body, The Brain, and the Sucker Punch – Part IX Counting the Countable
Here are some things I learned. Get in front of your disease ASAP. Don’t waste time in the denial phase. Those wasted weeks might be the good ones when you look back. You may not want to admit you or your loved one has this terrible disease, but keeping track of symptoms might prove life […]
The Body, The Brain, and the Sucker Punch Part X – The Wild Geese Are Calling
Stand with me on Man’s old planet, gazing north when sky has darkened; follow down the Dipper’s handle, half again and veering leftward. Do you see it? Can you sense it? Nothing there but cold and darkness. Try again with both eyes covered, try once more with inner vision, hearken now to wild geese honking, […]
The Body, The Brain, and the Sucker Punch Part VIII – The Spin Cycle
My father moved into his last home on a Wednesday morning while my brother and I filled out forms. Filling out forms, a necessary evil no doubt, consumes the greater part of the time you spend in a medical facility I think. Worries over the mark of the beast aside, it’d be nice if we […]
The Body, the Brain, and the Sucker Punch – Part VII Gather Ye Rose Petals
The call went out that my father was dying. His remaining siblings traveled 7 hours to see him. It became a veritable family reunion as we all paraded in and out of his room. My father lay in the bed, eyes closed and lips dry. Intermittently he’d twitch as if in some calamitous dream, arms […]
The Body, the Brain, and the Sucker Punch – Part VI Stop the Ride, I Want to Get Off
Over the next nine days he experienced two cycles where we really thought he’d lost his mind. He saw people all night long, some who shook him and screamed at him. They told him they were going to kill him or one of his children if he didn’t shut up. In his mind my brother […]
The Body, the Brain, and the Sucker Punch – Part V Do You See What I See
Understand I can only imagine what my father actually feels. I know this narrative is one-sided, comprised of my own thoughts and versions of the facts. That’s to be expected, but I do try to imagine how reality must appear to my father. When the only artifacts of LBD consisted of fuzzy balls, dragonflies, and texture […]
The Body, the Brain, and the Sucker Punch – Part IV The Revolution will be Televised
As my father’s health began to change in the summer of 2013, I admit we didn’t see the full magnitude. Disturbed sleeping patterns were hard for me to discern since I spent only one day a week with him sleeping in my home. I might hear him cry out once or twice. He might rise […]
The Body, the Brain, and the Sucker Punch – Part III There’s a Storm Coming
Understanding Lewy Body Dementia takes a few readings. I’ve met two types of people with regard to this disease; those who know exactly what it is and those who have no clue. Everyone knows what a heart attack is, even if they don’t know someone who’s had one. But this one is different. It sounds […]