When I was twelve years old, my paternal grandmother came to live with us.  She could no longer live by herself because she had Alzheimer’s Disease.  I enjoyed spending time sitting with her in her room.  One day when we were at school and my parents were at work, Gram “escaped”.  Knowing that her mother-in-law was always a very proper woman and would never go out without her handbag, my Mom had prepared for the possibility that Gram might get lost by taping our address to the bottom of Gram’s handbag.  A kind police officer gave my Grandmother a ride home.
 
Having experienced Alzheimer’s up close and personal, and struggling now and again to come up with a name or a word, I have a certain apprehension of one day being diagnosed with the disease.  Praise God for Bernie Goode and his letter to the editor in which he shared his attitude towards being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.  Bernie will not go quietly into that good night.  He continues to live life passionately and with joy and humor.  I feel so blessed to know him and I am inspired by his ongoing concern for others, especially the poor and for the wellbeing of our environment.  He is a man who lives in the moment.  He is a man of great peace and faith.  This is Bernie’s letter:
 
Don’t fear Alzheimer’s, embrace it
 
A story published Sept. 10 regarding Alzheimer’s Disease painted a rather grim picture for the 150,000 Georgians who now have the disease. I am among them.
 
I was in California in 2016 hiking with my twin brother when I found myself struggling to remember the name of the city of Sacramento. It was a strange feeling. Several times in the ensuing days, I struggled to pull the word out of my brain. That is when I decided to go see a neurologist as soon as I returned home.
 
I underwent the usual testing and was told of a national study trying to determine amyloid plaque on the brain could be used as an indicator of the onset of Alzheimer’s. I agreed to participate. Months later, as I was preparing to fly to San Francisco to meet with Joe and continue our hike, my neurologist called to report that my brain scan had shown the presence of plaque.
 
He put me on Donepezil, which I have taken every day since. It has definitely helped my short-term memory problems, but the freeze that I experience while talking or writing as I approach certain words has increased substantially over the past two years and at a steady pace.
 
Still, I would rate the past two-and-a-half years as among the happiest of my life. My personality changes. I became more outgoing and expect to see that trend continue.
 
My neurologist recently confirmed that I have Alzheimer’s, but I was not the least bit saddened to hear this. I will enter into a new life which will be even better than this one. We will all pass over the line eventually, and I plan to do so having fun. For those fearing Alzheimer’s – forget it, have hope and have fun.
 
Bernie Goode, Tybee Island
                                                                                                                           Fr.. Jerry Ragan