Fade to Gray (HB)

Book excerpt: Fade to Gray By: Richard Masinton My wife, Dana, was stricken with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease at the horrifyingly young age of 55. Fade to Gray is our story about dealing with the only disease for which modern medicine has no means to prevent, cure or slow its progression. Shock, disbelief and overwhelming emotions followed her diagnosis with a disease we thought only happened to the very elderly. Furthermore, I was appalled to discover that the business of Alzheimer’s care is broken. Caring and competent caregivers are hard to find, and assisted care facilities and other health care institutions that pride themselves on caring and competence are often anything but caring and competent. I refused to accept “business as usual” in confronting and dealing with this terrible illness, so Fade to Gray was written to share my challenging experiences and offer hard-earned lessons learned during Dana’s struggle. With no chance to alter the outcome, my purpose is to offer practical help, comforting wisdom and enduring hope to those whose lives are ruined by Alzheimer’s, hoping to alter what may otherwise seem a hopeless experience. This is not a story about how to COPE with Alzheimer’s. Fade to Gray was written to help others DEAL with and MANAGE a disease that is becoming a public health epidemic and an ineffective support infrastructure that annually costs families more than sending a child to Harvard!