Guest Author: Elaine C. Pereira

In 1945 a young woman, Elizabeth Ann Oberle, graduated from Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana with her Bachelor’s Degree in chemistry.  In the years just after World War II, very few attended college, an even smaller number were women and the ladies that did earn their advanced degrees did not purse the sciences.  Except for my trailblazing mom, who did!

I Will Never Forget is the exquisite portrayal of my talented mother's humorous and extraordinary journey through Dementia. The book details superb stories from my childhood, my controversial name, tales of smokin’ hot dragons, the feisty teenage years and a near paralyzing accident.  Through these and other events my mother’s wonderful character is revealed.  

Over time, however, our mother-daughter relationship evolved and a new paradigm formed; I became a parent to my parent.  After Mom’s husband, my dad, and her son, my brother, died only 8 months apart in 2004, Mom went into protective shock and never came out.  

My once energized, kind and brilliant mother started to dissolve.  Logical and reasonable thinking skills waned, replaced by irrational remarks and paranoia.  She accused people of stealing her things:  brown pants, a nail file, stamps and more.  I began to referee her uncharacteristic verbal assaults, agitation and hostility.  

Although clearly mystified by my mother’s goofy behaviors and bizarre thinking, I did not fully appreciate the extent of her decline until one tumultuous explosion of reality over an innocuous drapery rod.  Even after being relocated into a more secure, assisted living facility, the crazy drama continued.  Mom escaped with masterful Houdini-like skill, experienced fascinating visions of her own mother and finally orchestrated a stunning rally to take control of her destiny.  

I Will Never Forget is a heartwarming, funny and powerful true story pertinent to anyone touched by the insidious effects of Dementia.  Learn from my unwitting mistakes as I naïvely weave through Dementia’s unpredictable haze to capture insightful and effective intervention strategies.  Accompany me through our journey, as my mother's brilliant mind is slowly and unpredictably destroyed by Dementia's ravenous appetite for brain cells.




I Will Never Forget: 
A Daughter's Story of Her Mother's Arduous and Humorous Journey Through Dementia


Elaine C. Pereira
Paperback: 274 pages
Publisher: iUniverse (May 3, 2012)
Amazon Link

Kindle Edition
File Size: 501 KB
Print Length: 250 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: iUniverse (May 3, 2012)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Amazon Link

Synopsis:

I Will Never Forget is the exquisite story of the author's talented mother's, Betty's, humorous and extraordinary journey through Dementia.  Through entertaining glimpses of Elaine's childhood, from her controversial name, tales of smoking' dragons and the feisty teenage years, her mother’s wonderful character is revealed.  But as their mother-daughter relationship evolves, the author begins to witness uncharacteristic verbal assaults, confusion and paranoia  in her mom.  As Betty slowly wanders farther down the dark and narrow corridors of Alzheimer's, her ability to mask the truth unravels as an incident over innocuous drapery rod suddenly launches a waterfall of events.  Elaine witnesses her mother's masterful Houdini-like disappearances, stunning rally to take control of her own destiny and finally accompanies her mom as her brilliant mind is slowly destroyed by Dementia's insatiable appetite for brain cells. 

I Will Never Forget  is a heartwarming, powerful, deeply moving story pertinent to everyone, not just those peripherally pro intimately affected by Dementia. 

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