Debbie’s Heath Status

I have had many inquiries about Debbie’s health status, so this is to bring everyone up to date. Two years ago, Debbie was diagnosed with logopenic primary progressive aphasia, an atypical form of Alzheimer's disease. We suspected for several years prior that something was wrong. So, while the diagnosis was not a surprise it was devastating news.

Debbie and I had many talks about her medical condition as there are limited treatments and no cures. We agreed that it was an opportunity to demonstrate to our children and grandchildren how to face a difficult situation with courage, compassion, and commitment. It has been our experience that children pay less attention to what we say and more attention to what we do.

Last year she lost the ability to use email and social media apps, but she can still use a phone with assistance. Her short-term memory is virtually non-existent and that causes problems with understanding complex verbal information or communicating her thoughts to others. Most recently she has developed some difficulty in recognizing friends and family.

Debbie’s cognitive decline is accelerating. The last few months have been hard on her and those around her. She is aware of the changes in her cognition and is fearful. Yesterday, her neurologist changed her medications to help her be calmer.

She is at our home. We have home health care services seven days a week/eight hours a day to help. We are blessed to have supportive friends and family as Debbie goes through the long goodbye.
She has had visitors this year from all over the country wanting to spend time with her. If you want to “bump” into Debbie, we have breakfast at Hy-Vee on Mills Civic and 50th at 8:30 every Sunday morning.