Debbie’s Last Christmas

 
This was likely Debbie’s last Christmas where she will know it was Christmas, so we maintained our traditions. She had some good moments but was stressful for her, nonetheless.

She would see the Christmas tree and the packages under the tree and then get anxious about the need to buy presents. I would reassure her that it was done, and she would relax. But the information would not make it into her long-term memory.

A few minutes later she would panic and ask again. This is pretty much how every day is for her now, a lot of anxiety and a little slippage every day.

Our goal is to maintain a daily routine as that is calming for her. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we continue the long goodbye.

Onward and Upward! Bob

The Unicorn Cart

I had an amazing day at Walmart today! The first was finding a parking space up front on a weekend. Next, I grabbed a cart and was shocked. It was the Unicorn Cart, that mythical cart that tracks straight without a wheel that wobbles like it is on a bender or with a wheel pulling the cart back to China.

I only needed to buy eggs, bananas, and milk, but since the cart was so perfect, I continued to shop until it was full. Heading to the register for self-checkout, an employee caught my attention and said,” Register five is open, no waiting.” So, an employee rang up my groceries, and they were fast. It was just a wonderful experience.

Debbie and I get our prescriptions filled at Walmart and I'm thinking of changing to a new store so I never have to go back. Then I can always cherish the memory of a wonderful day at Walmart.

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.

Onward and Upward! Bob

The Ted Lussem Collection

Ted Lussem died last year after a long life dedicated to the insurance industry and his community. Ted was a mentor to many successful insurance professionals. He hosted study groups for all programs offered by The Institutes and that created a significant talent pool in Des Moines. He is responsible for much of the economic success we enjoy in Des Moines today. There will never be another Ted. Here is a link to Ted’s bio on the Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame website (a group that he championed for 21 years.)  https://iihof.org/recipients/theodore-d-lussem-2000/  Here is the eulogy I gave about Ted: Ted Lussem Eulogy 

I am pleased that a suitable home for the books and other memorabilia that Ted Lussem collected has been found thanks to Bruce Kelley.The Lussem collection along with several boxes of Preferred Risk/GuideOne artifacts from my collection were donated to the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Library at St. John's University--Manhattan Campus

Below is a photo of the archives. The 12 crates on the left are CPCU artifacts back to the 1953 founding of the chapter. The nine on the far right are archives for the Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame that date back to its founding in 1997. The middle 18 crates are Ted’s books and memorabilia.

The director of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Library, Ismael Rivera-Sierra, traveled to Iowa to organize and pack the items for safe transport.  St John’s chartered a moving company to drive to Iowa to pick it up and take it directly to the library.  Here are photos of the packing"party." Marylynn Paul, my wife Debbie, and the Iowa FAIR Plan staff "volunteered" to help. Actually, we had a great time working together and investigating the numerous items.

Of course, I had to show off Des Moines as an insurance center and a great place to live to Ishmael.

Deer Tag

Debbie and I went to St Joseph, MO yesterday to watch Allison play indoor softball at Missouri Western State University. The facility is used by the Kansas City Chiefs for their summer camp. She played well with great plays at first and a booming bat.

On the way home, about 20 miles from Des Moines, we played tag with a deer on I-35. The deer is now "it" but it just lies on the road and refuses to play anymore.

We are grateful that the airbags did not deploy and that the car stayed on the road.