Customer Reviews

Losing My Mind: An Intimate Look at Life with Alzheimer's

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As a reader who has progressed from mild to moderate Alzheimer's [ALZ aka CRS]since January, 2002; and who is acutely aware of his own Rapid Onset in a Late Onset prognosis, I begged my Caregiver to order this for me asap, which she did. My own CRS has caused me to become unable to view complicated movies such as "Iris" and "Godsford Park" or multilayered television such as "West Wing" or "CSI." Similarly, the ability to complete reading a book more than 3 or 4 pages at a time has departed, never to return. But, like when I received "The Forgetting" by Shenk, I was able to read this 207 page saga, cover to cover, in less than a single 24 hour time span, aka "one day". My window of clarity, which happens less than once a quarter, gave me the grace to assimilate deBaggio's message, just as I was able to do before I became an Emeritus Professor in 1993.

The writing by DeBaggio is superb, his poetry shines on every page! And he has been blessed with outsanding collaborators and editors who polished his rough diamond into the superb blue white gem which "Losing My Mind" is. De Baggio does NOT record a descent to madness, but rather an ascent into a Mount Carmel of shining sanity, despite his testimony to the contrary. The literature of ALZ is overwhelmed with desciptions, diagnoses,and understandings for/of the saintly Caregivers and facilitators who guide our descent into a Dante inferno. BUT, there is next to nothing wherein the person diagnosed with Alzheimer's tells us what is going on inside their crania. "Speaking with Alzheimer's" and "Into the Labyrinth [out-of-print]" are two other exceptions.

Once we are diagnosed, it is as if we no longer are sentient human beings, capable of intellectual cognition. Our ability to convery our intelligence and meanings to others does deteriorate rapidly, particulary with aphasia, but the human entity is still there and functioning even though the ability to respond has vanished: i.e. a CRSer hears and understands all that is said in his/her presence, even though the ALZer cannot communicate that understanding.
Inspired by DeBaggio, I, too, have commenced a Journal of sorts, with the hope of telling others exactly what my sensations are as my hippocampus turns into Gorgonzola. {In my own situation, I have rewired my brain to eliminate frustration over a lack of word recall, and working memory recall, with the help of positive reinforcement, Qi Gong Nirvana state deep meditation, Vitamin B6, B12,E, and Aricet. Thus I have forced a window of clarity to write this critique, and DeBaggio has given this clinically diagnosed unipolar Depressive and CRSer hope that he can aid others before I am unable to lift my head or swallow. Like DeBaggio, the light at the end of my tunnel is an ALZ locomotive, at full speed, headed towards my demise, yet like him, I hope I can locate an agent, collaborator, and editor, so that my own Pilgrim's Progress will be a gift to my seven children and eleven grandchildren, {I include Andrew!}, when the words jumble and chaos reigns supreme, as it already has commenced.
Thank you very much Thomas, for your Augustinian "Confession!" I wish all of us fellow travelors, a "Safe Return."

There is nothing so sad as to see a person who was once consumed with a passion for life, abundant with wisdom and intellect, active, alert and filled with a wealth of personal stories, overcome with Alzheimer's. It is a condition which has overwhelming effects not only for the individual afflicted with the disease, but for family and friends as well.

Few individuals with Alzheimer's write a book about their progressive loss of memory and the associated conditions that go with Alzheimer's. Unless, you personally know someone with the disease, it is difficult to understand how it affects one's social life, their loss of verbal communication skills and their thought process. Debaggio gives reader an inside view and clearer understanding from a patient's perspective of what it is like to live with this devastating disease on a daily basis. The author's courage and strength in the face of adversity will touch readers to their very core. Debaggio deserves a standing ovation for having the heart and spirit to write such a poignant book on the subject, from a point of view only one afflicted with the disease could fully and realistically explain.

"Losing My Mind" is a well-written book authored by an ex-journalist gone herb-grower who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease at the age of fifty-seven in 1999. The book is a personal account of one man's struggle with dementia accompanied by an autobiography. Along with these two themes, Mr. DeBaggio inserts clippings from his own research on the disease in every few pages.
This is a great read for anyone who would like to venture into the mind of someone suffering from Alzheimer's. But be warned, the book does not contain any sparks of hope or messages of positive thinking. Readers are likely to become sad and feel slightly depressed from this book that is probably meant to "share some grief." The book is a sincere , raw and from the heart look at a frightening disease that will most likely affect even more Americans as the "Baby-boomer" generation embarks on its golden years.
This book is a must for anyone who has a family member diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. It provides insight into the moods, fears and anger of those suffering from it; this is especially important for families who have trouble getting their loved ones to open up and share what they're going through.
I salute Mr. DeBaggio for having the courage to share his inner-most feelings with all those interested in learning more about this insidious disease. May his fear abate and his arms embrace the love that his family is giving him.

Many of us are willing to put up with a physically debilitating disease. It's not something we look forward to, but we like to think we'll take it in stride when it comes. After all, that's part of the price of getting old. But most of us quake with dread at the thought of losing our mental faculties. There's something about the thought of no longer being in control on the "inside" that is far more frightening than losing control on the "outside."

In *Losing My Mind,* Thomas Debaggio has voiced those fears for us. One of this book's many merits is that he never tries to softpedal the horror of what's happening to him. In this regard, his memoir is very much reminiscent of "Tuesdays with Morrie.* He describes the personal feeling of disintegration and hopelessness, telling us, himself, and his wife that at times all he wants is to be hugged--the whimper of a lost and frightened child. He also describes the incredible burden that his illness places on his wife and son; they, after all, will have to deal with the condition long after Thomas is no longer present. But the book is also a testament to the human spirit and spirituality. The very fact that Debaggio can write such a moving tale while in the grips of a reason-destroying illness, and still find wonder and beauty and joy and humor in life is well worth pondering. His memoir will make readers appreciate life and loved ones.

I just finished this book and it gave me a better understanding of what my Mother is going through. She won't talk about it but this book gave me the best insiders look at her life with Alzheimer's. I now understand her moods, her fears, her anger. I highly recommend this book to anyone who's family member has been diagnoised with Alzheimer's. Also, what was extremely great was all the medical terms and current discoveries in treatment. Your local M.D. often can't recommend or give you a contact to join a support group. The medical community by large needs to get with the program as well as the State and Federal government. More and more folks will be diagnoised with Alzheimer's because we are all living longer. They, the politicians need to deal with it like we the family members and care givers, and victums! Thank You.

By all accounts it is an insidious disease. Four million Americans and counting are its victims. There are no survivors and it strikes as early as 27 and as late as 80. Until now precious few first-hand accounts of its relentless, irreversible, maddening progression have been available in other than clinical texts or coping guides for families.
Debaggio, an accomplished writer and highly successful independent businessman was, at age 57 in 1999, in the prime of his life.
During a routine visit to his physician he answered the question,"Is there anything you want to tell me?" with a casual remark that he was "...having trouble remembering things that are basic to my work, things I have known and now can't remember."
The result was a devastating diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's and a remarkable effort by a writer to document his experiences and provide a first-hand account that is both therapeutic to DeBaggio and of immeasurable comfort to individuals and families experiencing the symptoms of this hideous disease.
In a refreshingly readable, narrative style DeBaggio provides the reader with a personal record of his illnesses progression while weaving his recollections of his life prior to the diagnosis with his medical records and excerpts from leading medical journals that results in a three-part story that is unforgettable.
The end result is a multi-dimensional account of what he calls "...a man dying in slow motion." It is the story of frightening memory loss and the realization that you can no longer drive or perform simple routine tasks that have comprised your daily work habits for over twenty-five years. His story of being unable to operate the cash register at his world-renowned herb and vegetable business is poignant and illustrative of the power of the disease.
His description, after having been a writer for most of his life, of the impact of Alzheimer's is especially telling: "I have only a few seconds to capture a thought before it disappears from my mind. Scraps of ideas flit like birds. This is the worst thing to happen to a writer."
While the book contains understandable fear, rage, frustration and pity at the inevitable progress of the disease, there are also doses of hope and love and understanding that are of much comfort to those with the disease and their families and friends. In the end his message of love, both for and of his family and friends is of inestimable value and hope for four million souls and counting.
This is an extraordinary book. It is a rare, intimate, coherent look at Alzheimer's disease by a talented writer that managed to reduce to paper the lessons learned about the loss of memory and its tragic consequences.
My father-in-law recently died of this disease. The book has been of immeasurable help in understanding his struggle.

It is a provocative memoir of a man who courageously sharing with the world some of its last moment of having a memory or human's most important asset that defined us all in this world. This book provides a glimpse of the Alzheimer's dim world besides exposing human's natural reaction of disbelief, denial, anger, fear and misery when unexpectedly been granted to such fate. The author is very open in revealing his raw emotion and perception on what he's going through and what lies ahead of him and the impact of such ailment to his loved one. The narrative is beautifully written with piercing essence; the thought and feeling expressed is real and very affecting to any soul who realise that as aging is never an option there's always possibility that we or someone we loved would be destined to such ending fate. Tragic if it happened too early. It taught the importance to make the most of every passing moment in life and to fight till the end of what's left of sanity. This book is worth reading, and gives a clearer understanding about the illness. Even though the description of the author's suffering is heartbreaking but his fighting spirit should be commendable. The humanity that he believe and fight shines and touches me through the words written.

I wish him all the best, and to his loved one may all the good memories stay alive even though he may reside in his own world one day. Well, nothing is more important than having a memory thus it should be cherished as far as we still live.

Intimate this book is indeed, and heartbreaking in its Alzheimer's-inspired eclecticism. DeBaggio gathers snippets about the disease from medical journals and mixes them with his own perceptions from the inside of a brain gone bad.

At times, I admit to feeling frustrated with his "wallowing" -- repeating over and over the gloomiest sorts of thoughts about his imminent death. Much more affecting, in my opinion, were his insights into the role of memory in forming our human minds, and how tenuous our life becomes when memory is no longer reliable.

For anyone dealing with the early stages of this disease, this book is a treasure -- uplifting and thought-provoking. Limited by its very nature, it cannot show much of what lies beyond the short "early dementia" period DeBaggio is capable of cataloguing. But beyond that, as DeBaggio says, we must all embark on our own journey, our own struggle with words and our own grapplings with memory.

Even for someone like myself who is, thank God, not coping with Alzheimer's, this is that rare book that offers readers a chance to hold the author's hand as he is unwillingly tugged along the first few steps of one of the most hellish of human journeys.

This book recounts the downward decline of the mental state of an Alzheimer's sufferer. At the age of 57, DeBaggio was a successful businessman who ran a plant nursery out of his home. Some annoying problems recalling scientific details of his plants led him to ask his doctor if there might be something wrong with his brain. He consulted with a neurologist who subjected him to a battery of tests, which all pointed to early onset Alzheimer's. In this book, DeBaggio describes his diagnosis, treatment, and losses of mental acuity. One aspect of Alzheimer's is that memories from childhood return with new vividness, so interwoven in this story are the memoirs of DeBaggio's life, from the meeting of his parents to his birth, childhood, and earlier career as a journalist. Juxtaposed with these details are descriptions of his present mental state, his meetings with doctors and struggles with daily tasks, as well as lengthy informative quotations about Alzheimer's research.

The prose floats from one time period to another, repeating itself often with slight variations. But instead of being tedious, this comes across as being an extremely honest portrayal of a person with failing memory who is struggling to communicate. DeBaggio's life story in itself is fascinating and very well-told. The insights the book provides on what it is like to live with Alzheimer's are most informative and riveting.

I feel privileged to be one of the first to review Tom's book, even though I've not yet finished reading it - it hurts to read it. Almost 20 years ago, after my mother died, I wanted to plant an herb garden. It was Tom's writing I discovered, and when I subsequently learned he, too, lived in Virginia and owned a retail herb business, my husband and I visited him. He was wonderful, and took the time to explain about the various herbs I purchased that day, especially the rosemary plants he was so proud of.

A few weeks later, my rosemary plants had brown tips, so I wrote to Tom. He wrote back and explained what was wrong, and sent me some information on herbs. I caught a love of gardening, especially of herbs, from Tom. When my husband and I recently purchased some rural property, the first thing I thought was "Oh, I have to visit Tom for some herbs."

It was shortly after that that I learned of Tom's Alzheimer's, and I was heartbroken for him and his family. He is truly a remarkable man, and the writing of this book is proof of that. It is an important book, but having met him and been the beneficiary of his kindness, quite difficult to read. I wish him and his family all the best.