Life in Perspective « Alzheimer’s Disease « Science

I had a rant and rave ready for today, but forget that. My family is reeling from the revelation that my 27-year-old second cousin is in the final stages of a very rare, galloping liver cancer. His parents been told he won’t make it through the night. They lost him late in the afternoon on Friday. My cousin, Michael Conn, has been through the wringer this past year. First Rita, his wife, nearly died from a weird resistant bacterial infection, and now this. Adam is their life. I had something go very wrong for me on Thursday, but it was nothing like this. Prayers would be nice.

We are slowly discovering that Adam is into body-building. His first cousins, who are his age, are beginning to suspect part of the problem was his diet, the energy drinks, and supplements for competitive body building. I suspect we will eventually know if this is the case. If so, I also suspect I have another new cause.

While talking to another cousin, who works with Alzheimer’s patients. She lives in Colorado. We were talking about my father and his AD, what we did to handle it. She said she is noticing that the families who are pro-active, and take their loved ones off the AD medications are having better results. She is also finding that those did what we did with my father, hitting it with caffeine and sugar are having the results we had. Also – the best results are with a combination of medical marijuana (legal there) made into hard candy, sugar, and caffeine. I keep saying the cure is in diet.

Family is a strange thing, at least ours is. We are spread out, from Thailand to Palm Beach. There may be an occasional nod on FB. Once in awhile there is a text. But, days like Friday, everyone came together. We’ve frequently discussed the fact that maybe there’s not much to our family. I guess there is. It’s good to know that the ‘cousins’, of which I am one, stick together when we need to. I’ve often wondered what was going to happen to us, when the parents are gone. Now I know. We were so bonded as kids, like the musketeers, that the bond has remained. I never realized it until today. Some of us are closer than others, but that bond is still there. When I talked to Linda, she started talking about her mother, then crying a little. Then we began talking about Nana and Grandy, and the tears began flowing. We had the most wonderful grandparents there ever were. That is the bond.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SJ Reidhead (aka The Pink Flamingo) is a writer based in New Mexico. The author of two published novels, both westerns: Dust Devil and The Second Mrs. Earp and two published works of non-fictions: TRAVESTY: Frank Waters Earp Agenda Exposed and A Church for Helldorado, Endicott Peabody's 1882 Tombstone Diary. One of the leading authorities on the life of Wyatt Earp and Tombstone during the Earp years, she is writing a series of murder mysteries set in modern day Tombstone. The author is also working on a book about fashion in the Wild West. When complete, there will be over 2100 unpublished antique photographs dating from 1855-1910.

The author's work has appeared in Wild West, True West, Blogcritics, and The Tombstone Times. Recently the author has had to deal with a father who succumbed to Alzheimer's Disease. This is leading to a book dealing with the frustrations of dealing with the frustrations of the disease, finance, legal, health-care, and things no one bothers telling families about it. A portion of the book will contain entries from a blog she kept, detailing the struggle with her father's AD. She is also working on a murder mystery series set in modern day Tombstone and Cochise County. Several books of essays on Christian living are currently in edits. A book of essays and revisions of articles about Wyatt Earp has been completed and will include her latest work detailing her theory about the murder of his second wife, Mattie.

SJ Reidhead has been involved in Republican politics since she was 'a little kid'. During the Reagan years she was a lobbyist working with various non-profit organizations who were attempting to salvage NASA and the American space program after the disastrous Carter years. In spite of ups and downs, and numerous disappointments, politically, it is obvious the only political hope for this country is via the Republican Party. Along with politics she is an opera fanatic, has been known to stalk baritones to the point of being a baritone junkie, and loves baseball.

The Pink Flamingo went on line on October 4, 2005.

THE PINK FLAMINGO STORY

It started out as a joke. During the seven years I worked with the girls of my parish, leading a youth group, one of the things that I stressed were manners. Part of having manners, the way I see it, is to know how to set a proper table, host a party, cater it, and clean up afterward. I was fortunate enough to have a group of very talented girls in my youth group. They learned how to plan for, and execute large church functions, very properly. During one such function I noticed there were several incredibly tacky pink flamingos sitting on the table. Knowing the girls were up to something, I said nothing. A few months later they did the same thing at a function I was hosting at my home. I said nothing. They had a birthday party for me. More pink flamingos appeared - and a joke was born.

Thanks to the girls, all of whom are now grown, I have a collection of pink flamingos. It has become an ongoing joke. When I began working on my political blog, I realized the only possibly title was The Pink Flamingo!