Writers Tricks of the Trade Vol. 5, Issue 4 | Page 32

REVIEWS BY MARTHA RESIDENT REVIEWER – MARTHA CHEVES RE-LA Menu THE VANISHING MIND OF RUTH SWERDLOFF IN HER OWN WORDS: AN ALZHEIMER'S SUFFERER'S JOURNAL MARTHA CHEVES AUTHOR/REVIEWER By: Fran Lewis ASIN: B00UCEK2KM Publisher: Fideli Publishing Inc. Publication Date: March 5, 2015 Pages: 137 Kindle How do you say goodbye when you are still here? How do you say goodbye before your thoughts, desires, and wishes disappear from your mind? What happens when all that's left of you is a human shell? Everyone invites guests to their homes for dinner, or just to talk. But, some guests overstay their welcome and others are just plain annoying. Uninvited guests can be escorted out and asked to leave, hopefully never to return. One uninvited guest made its way into my mother's mind and refused to leave. BUY I've known people who have family members that have literally lost their minds. Or better yet, lost everything stored within their minds. They forget where they are, where they are going, who they are and who the strangers that keep showing up might be. They forget to eat or can't remember if they did eat. They forget the names of their favorite food and even their own children. As the days go by they lose more and more of what took years to fill their minds. Eventually that full mind is empty and hollow. What causes this? You've probably already answered that question with that terrible disease called Alzheimer’s. I've personally never been exposed to Alzheimer’s but after reading The Vanishing Mind I feel that has changed. The way the Author combined the experience as a caregivers/family member and the journals written by her mother when her mind was still there enough to write, you can't help but feel as if you're a part of the family or at least a close friend. The insight I found through this book has me watching my own loved ones more closely with the possible chance that they may show some of these signs. I'm also watching myself too. FRAN LEWIS Author Fran Lewis goes one step further in helping those who are faced with this dreadful disease. She has included tips for the caregivers stressing on WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE PAGE 21 JULY-AUGUST 2015