Please Vote for Us: Healthline’s Best Health Blog of 2016

30 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by Ann Napoletan in Advocacy and Awareness, ALZ Blog, Blogging, Call to Action, Marilyn's Legacy

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alzheimers, alzheimers awareness, alzheimers blogging, dementia, healthline best health blog contest

12.15.16 Update: Thank you for voting! Of over 350 nominated blogs, we placed 17th, and there were THREE Alzheimer’s blogs in the top 20!

We’re proud to announce that The Long and Winding Road has been nominated as one of Healthline’s Best Health Blogs for the third year in a row. Voting is open until December 12, and you can vote once every 24 hours. To vote, simply click here or on the image below. When the voting page fully loads, type “Long and Winding” in the search box to find us and then click VOTE!!! We appreciate your support.

* Note: Should we be so fortunate, any prize money received would go directly to our non-profit, Marilyn’s Legacy: A World Without Alzheimer’s, to continue the work of fighting AD and supporting families who are on this journey right now.

Alzheimer’s & Gratitude: A Matter of Perspective

15 Wednesday Jun 2016

Posted by Ann Napoletan in Advocacy and Awareness, alzheimer's & brain awareness month, Blogging, Caregivers, Expectations, Grieving, Helpful Resources, Inspiration, Life After Caregiving, Marilyn's Legacy, Mom, Ruminations, Smiles

≈ 5 Comments

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alzheimer's & brain awareness month, alzheimers, alzheimers gratitude, caregiver grief, caregivers, dementia, gratitude

gllogo June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month in the United States, and I’m grateful to my new friends at the worldwide Network for Grateful Living for helping shine the spotlight on Alzheimer’s!

After being introduced to their site, I was inspired to write a piece about Alzheimer’s and gratitude, two things we don’t necessarily see as going hand in hand. We know this disease brings with it pain and sorrow, shattered dreams, and disappointments over lost opportunities. We mourn uniquely beautiful lives cut short, and we struggle to say goodbye to what could (and should) have been. It’s a journey none of us would choose.

However, like anything in life, perspective matters. Some days, I could easily curl up in a blanket and sob for hours about how unfair it is that I began to lose pieces of my mom before I was out of my 30’s. Even as I write these words, I feel tears well up in my eyes.

Yet Alzheimer’s also made me a more compassionate person. It opened my eyes in many ways – to life’s most simple pleasures, to the fact that my story might actually help others, and to the idea that I had talents and abilities that had gone untapped and might be valued in venues I had never considered.

sunset-over-mountains Living through the experience reminded me that my time on earth is limited and there’s no time like the present. It made me sweat the small stuff a bit less. It even made me realize I could leave behind a very comfortable 27-year career with a Fortune 100 company to work for a much smaller non-profit with a strong mission and values I believed in.

Of course, I would trade every last one of those things to have my mom back. Of course I would. But having her back in this life isn’t an option, so I the best way I can honor her is to go on and live the best life I can. The best way I can keep her spirit alive is to do what I now feel is my life’s work, which includes the recent launch of a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Marilyn’s Legacy: A World Without Alzheimer’s.

I wish I’d grasped the idea of Alzheimer’s and gratitude much earlier in our journey, but I guess that’s what growth is all about. Fortunately, with time, experience, plenty of soul searching – and an ocean of tears – it came while she was still alive. The piece I wrote for Gratefulness.org is all about what a blessing that was. I hope you’ll take few minutes to visit the site to read and share Alzheimer’s Taught Me to be Grateful.

Bookmark the site and check them out on Facebook as well. Be sure to read about Brother David and the fascinating life he led before co-founding the Network for Grateful Living. This has become one of my favorite places for daily inspiration!

A Story for Valentine’s Day & Beyond

13 Saturday Feb 2016

Posted by Ann Napoletan in Advocacy and Awareness, Blogging, Books, Caregivers, Celebrities, Face of Alzheimer's, Helpful Resources, Inspiration, Tips, USAgainstAlzheimer's

≈ 4 Comments

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alzheimer's books, alzheimers, Alzheimers advocacy, alzheimers caregiving, b smith, barbara smith, before i forget, dan gasby

cover Last fall, I had the pleasure of attending a WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s dinner where Barbara (B.) Smith and husband, Dan Gasby, were honored for their Alzheimer’s advocacy work. You may know B. as a chef, restaurateur, entrepreneur, author, lifestyle expert, television host, magazine publisher, or supermodel – this lady has quite a resume!

What you may not know is that Barbara was diagnosed with younger onset Alzheimer’s in 2013 when she was just 64 years of age.

Today, Dan and B. work tirelessly to bring attention to the impending social crisis that is Alzheimer’s disease. They’ve recently written a book entitled, Before I Forget: Love, Hope, Help & Acceptance in Our Fight Against Alzheimer’s, chronicling their story, and whether you have been touched by Alzheimer’s (yet) or not, I suggest you pick up a copy and read it.

Dan writes with a courage and forthrightness that we don’t always see. He shares the good, the bad, and the ugly, in an enlightening and even validating style for those of us who have been through the journey. As I read each page, I found myself nodding, “YES, I’ve felt that way” or “Oh, I remember when that happened to us.”

Throughout the book, Dan shares practical tips based on his own experience. He discusses how this journey has affected the couple’s marriage and some of the things he has found help him cope on a daily basis. Before I Forget is a book about Alzheimer’s, but make no mistake – first and foremost, it’s a love story.

In a recent Alzheimer’s Talks call, Dan encouraged listeners to “do one thing” to move us forward in this fight. Read more about that call in my recap of a very compelling, thought-provoking hour with Dan. You can find it by visiting my friends at UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. Thank you to Trish Vradenburg and Virginia Biggar for allowing me to share my thoughts in A Love Story: B. Smith & Dan Gasby.