Forgetting Donna

“The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time.”
Friedrich Nietzsche


Here begins the blog. The way to keep connected to people who care about Donna and me. I named the blog Forgetting Donna because it describes her - an adjective - that captures what is happening to her. And also because just as Donna's memory is unraveling so too is everyone else. Her memories of us all are diminishing and so that shared history disappears from the world forever. No one will ever remember us in the same way she did. As she disappears little by little so too do we.

No matter how sad all of this can be, I also want to be able to tell funny stories about how  Alzheimer's also produces moments of great amusement and laughter. It's not all doom and gloom, and it's not all sunshine and lollipops. Just as life has always brought both, so too does Alzheimer's.

Donna is mostly happy. She and Ripley take care of each other. I think without Ripley Donna's life would be so bleak. The love of that dog keeps her connected to life in ways that you just can't imagine. When Donna is sad Ripley is right there next to her. When Donna is happy, Ripley smiles too. They are inseparable, and it makes me happy.

So, yes - here begins the blog.