By Lisa Marshall from Connecticut
My husband, Peter, was diagnosed with Early On-set Alzheimer’s at the young age of 53. While the diagnosis was devastating and could have overpowered me, I knew that I had to understand the disease and what to expect. Being Peter’s caregiver would require enormous research, but I could find little available.
I started a blog entitled Oh Hello Alzheimer’s to offer readers the chance to get a firsthand look inside our private walls. I began to share the raw emotions of receiving the diagnosis and its unfairness. The horror of knowing there is no cure for Alzheimer’s and the panic of slowly losing the love of your life. The blog quickly became a global resource.
I discovered many tips and tricks for dealing with the unique nuances of early-onset Alzheimer’s. Many of these tips apply to all forms of dementia and I discovered many people were hungry to feel part of this learning community. What surprised me were the life lessons I learned along the way that now, on the other side, help me to live a more joy-filled life.
When I began the blog, I would read each post to Peter asking for his permission before publishing it. Peter’s dignity is of utmost importance, so his permission was paramount. When reading the words to Peter I often struggled through, choking on my own words, sobbing at the disbelief of it all. One day, I struggled to read the words I would publish, my shoulders shook in disbelief and tears fell in my hands as I hid my face. Peter knelt on one knee behind me as I sat at the dining room table reading. He rubbed my back as I cried and said, “It’s ok. It has to be done. It has to be you.”
Peter’s words gave me permission and courage, and a passionate voice to evoke change and guide others. This book is for caregivers and families struggling with Alzheimer’s and other related dementias, a continuum of Peter and my fierce commitment to help those behind us by offering guidance, support, and hope on the other side. The struggle and daily grief were unbearable, but my experiences are real and relatable.
The research of combing through over three years of blog posts was grueling. Repressed memories and experiences were dusted off and relived so they could be told robustly. This book had to be filled with truthful experiences no matter how painful they were for me to rediscover.
Oh Hello Alzheimer’s connected a community of people who belong to a club we never wanted to be a part of. Caregivers have found this book to be an extension of that space, a road map for their dementia journey. I wrote this book to share our experiences and the wisdom I learned during this devastating time. I wanted to connect readers with Peter and my love story bridging true love and pure devastation. Even though everyone knows how this love story ends, our journey together was beautiful.
Peter died three years and eight months after diagnosis. He gave me his permission to share our story and use my voice to help others. This is Peter’s gift to the world.
About The Author
Lisa Marshall was the primary caregiver for her husband Peter Marshall who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2018 at the age of 53. Lisa retired in 2020 from a professional sales career to care for her husband who could no longer be alone. Peter passed away on December 26th, 2021, just three years and eight months after diagnosis. He was 56.
She is passionate about advocating for support for caregivers and raises her voice to create awareness of the disease. For over four years she has chronicled her and Peter’s daily journey at www.facebook.com/ohhelloalzheimers offering an honest, realistic, and raw look at Alzheimer’s disease, to followers all over the world. Her book, Oh Hello Alzheimer’s, a love story and caregiver guide, is available on Amazon. This book offers tips and tricks for caregivers, covering taboo topics not often talked about. She is also a contributing author of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Navigating Elder Care and Dementia. Her chapter depicts just one of the many sad nuances of Alzheimer’s.
Lisa and Peter’s journey has been covered on CNN, The Washington Post, Today.com, CBS Evening News, On the Road with Steve Hartman, People.com, and more.
Continuing her passion, she holds virtual Alzheimer’s discussions with followers as well as private consultations, offering her insight, tips, and coping skills. Participants discuss their own unique stories and realize a sense of community together in a safe space.
She works with both Memory Care facilities and companies that offer continuing education credits to medical professionals helping them to better understand the disease. Lisa shares tips she’s learned to help professional caregivers cope which ultimately helps their Alzheimer’s patients.
Lisa works closely with the Alzheimer’s Association and led a team with Walk to End Alzheimer’s helping fund research to find a cure. Her team was the largest fundraising team in CT in 2021, raising more than $58,000.
When Lisa isn’t writing, she spends time with her family. She has three grown children, two stepchildren, and two grandsons who she babysits whenever she can. Additionally, she enjoys a very active life hiking, working out, swimming in the neighborhood lake, going to the beach, visiting with friends, traveling, and gardening. Lisa practices meditation and vibrates positive energy and love to everyone she meets. Her mantra is to find joy in life and live each day with no regrets.
Follow Lisa Marshall:
www.facebook.com/OhhelloAlzheimers
www.linkedin.com/in/lisalmarshall
Instagram: @LisaMarshall
One Response
Oh hello Alzheimer’s was the best book on the subject I have read. It is truly authentic. Lisa gets all the nuances , issues , drama, sadness, loyalty and love that I am presently experiencing . I underlined enormous amounts of her book since they resonated so true and confirmed my fears, my ups and downs , my upsets with the medical field , bureaucracy and ignorance of some. She helped me to also find the joy in unconditionally loving no matter what and as she said having no regrets. Her depiction of the stages couldn’t have been more accurate. Thank you Lisa for the help and confirmation your book has given me. I could go on and on. It has made a big difference to me in dealing with this difficult situation.