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🌿 Chapter 1 — The Day of the Diagnosis

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We walked into the clinic together, Jackie and I, thinking it would be routine.

There had been forgetfulness.  She had been telling friends and family the same stories, over and over again. There was some confusion with words.

Surely that was just ageing, stress, something manageable.  After all she was only 70, very active and mentally alert.

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But Jackie's friend had Alzheimer's and Jackie thought she recognised the signs.

 

When the specialist began asking Jackie questions—simple ones, ones she would have answered without thinking a year earlier—I felt a quiet dread begin to form.

 

He spoke gently.

Professionally.

Kindly.

 

But dementia arrives in a room even before the word is spoken.

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“Walking out of the clinic, the world looked exactly the same—but inside, everything had changed.”

 

I remember nodding as he explained the scan results.

I remember Jackie smiling politely, unaware of the full meaning.

 

Cars passed. People chatted. Nothing around us reacted to the earthquake we had just lived through.

 

Dementia had entered our lives—without permission, without mercy, and without any plan to leave.​

 

If you’ve had this moment recently, you are not alone.

Nothing prepares you for it.

Nothing needs to be perfect.

 

Just breathe.

Take the next step.

And let yourself feel whatever you feel.

 

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Next chapter: Telling the Family

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