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This is from Dave.
I have read various posts and want to clear up some confusion or speculation about Julie’s health. Please know that dementia is an unpredictable disease. I knew very little about this illness until Julie was struck down by it. There are times when her condition has scared me to death. Other times I am hopeful. Your comments in Facebook have raised her spirits and I am so thankful for that.
As with any disease we are to some degree helpless. The fact that we have the disease cannot be changed. How we deal with it is something we do have some control over (emotions are hard to control). And how we deal with the disease is a great deal related to the people that support us. You, Julie’s friends and loved ones, are absolutely the best.
Julie continues to be funny and entertaining at times. Other times she is in complete confusion and requires medicine. There are behavioral patterns, but they are not fixed patterns. My job is to keep Julie happy and comfortable and seek out any way possible to help her. Brain injuries are NOT good, and we are learning more about their impact as we read of athletes experiencing mental problems later in life: mostly football player and boxers specifically. If there was a cure to this disease, I’m sure Muhammad Ali and Ronald Reagan would have been with us much long to provided us with good advice on how to help one another.
For a long time, I struggled on how to communicate her health problem to her fans. Late, last Friday night, I began writing and knew it was time to communicate openly about Julie. Somehow we just know when the right time arrives. I was concerned that if I waited any longer, Julie could be gone and that would be disastrous to all of you. At that point, I asked myself, “what would Julie want me to do” if she was thinking straight. So, I entered her Facebook for the first time, and made the post.
I am brought to tears each each day as I watch this wonderful women be inflicted by this awful disease. I read everything on Julie’s Facebook to her, even this post. Each time I write and read, I must pause as tears fill my eyes and I can no longer speak. I am experiencing this as I write you this post this very moment. This disease is sometimes called “the long goodbye”; I understand that completely.
Once again, thank you for uplifting Julie,
Dave
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