Fred has a pattern. He’s well. He’s walking(ish). He’s upbeat. Then, he launches into a full-tilt dive. He can barely stand. He certainly can’t walk. He’s incontinent. And he becomes surly, despondent and a little confused. The first...
You can only watch so much news. Every night, I now wrangle “the clicker” from Kathy’s FOX News-happy hands and rove On Demand for something simple, something funny, and preferably, something old that may feel like a comfortable sweater to Kathy. I...
The other night, Fred looked particularly cheerless. As Kathy and I left his apartment, he implored with his eyes, “Please don’t go. Don’t ever go.” It was heartbreaking. He was lonely, it was clear. The next day I was at IKEA shopping for a...
KATHY: “Hey, D-D, how old am I?" D-D: "75." KATHY: "Oh shit, I was afraid of that! (pause) How old?" D-D: "75." KATHY: "Oh, shit! (pause) 95?" D-D: "75." KATHY: "Ah, shit. Well, I guess it’s...
Deirdre Timmons
An accomplished writer and filmmaker, Deirdre Timmons is a native Northwesterner who leads a busy life between working and spending time with her family. In the spring of 2013, Deirdre was caring for her mother with Alzheimer’s in addition to her normal routine. So when she began feeling tired and forgetful, she chalked it up to her busy schedule, age, and possible early symptoms of Alzheimer’s. It wasn’t long after that she began experiencing regular dizziness, lack of concentration, unexplained weight loss, and extensive bruising. This combination of symptoms seemed odd, so Deirdre sought the advice of her doctor and subsequently began physical therapy for dizziness. When the symptoms worsened, she pursued further investigation.
After MRIs, x-rays, blood tests, a CAT scan, and a brain biopsy, her brain surgeon diagnosed Deirdre with a malignant medulloblastoma brain tumor. Her prognosis: one month to live. That was five years ago.
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