Stories Archive - Lewy Body Dementia Association

Helen Bundy Medsger – Volunteer of the Year Award Recipient

The Lewy Body Dementia Association 2022 Volunteer of the Year is Helen Bundy Medsger. Her first encounter with Lewy came early in life, as she supported her father through his challenging journey with the disease at a time when LBD was still widely unknown.

Daughter, RN

We fought with so many doctors, hospitals, and social workers to make sure my mom was safe and taken care of. At the end of the day, her kids gave her that.

Mayday: A Daughter’s Poem to Her Father

“He’s fading fast.” Those 3 words I muttered as a plea to many back on the 26th of May. What a month May is, to the youngest of his; […]

Barbara Levine – Volunteer of the Year Award Recipient

LBDA is grateful for Barbara’s years of work on behalf of the organization, helping so many others who are affected by Lewy body dementia, and is pleased to name Barbara Levine our Lewy Body Dementia Association 2021 Volunteer of the Year.

Early Signs of Lewy Body Dementia

My mom passed six weeks ago from LBD at age 87. I read that one of the early signs of Lewy body dementia is REM disruption/sleep disorder. I remembered a […]

Ellen and Randy’s Story

Randolph “Randy” Cook is 70 years old and was a care partner to his wife Ellen. She began displaying symptoms of Lewy body dementia (LBD) in 2016. Later that year, […]

Dennis’ Story

Dennis was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia (LBD) in June of 2020. His two daughters share responsibility in caring for their father. One daughter handles more of the day-to-day functions […]

A Painful Journey

My Pops was always full of life and had smile for everyone. No such thing as a stranger… just a friend he hadn’t met yet. He was thankful for each […]

Something’s Wrong With Me!

On the morning of July 28, 2020 my father’s life came to an end after a brief battle with Lewy body dementia. The life of an otherwise healthy, vibrant and […]

Mary Alice Jackson, Our Journey Comes To An End

When we did the last interview In August 2020, I had just moved Mom, Mary Alice, from memory care into my townhome. During that time, my husband and I decided […]

Lillian O’Connor – Finding Strength While Living with LBD

Lillian O’Connor was a churchgoing, avid reader. Prior to she and her husband downsizing, her home was filled with books. She now carries her Kindle wherever she goes and remains […]

A Former Care Partner Supports the LBD Community

Pat was in real estate and her husband, Art, were hoping to retire soon. It started with shaking and he would eventually be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. A year later, […]

Dennis Pack Traverses the Appalachian Trail for LBD Awareness

Dennis Pack is a 59-year-old father to two adult children, and a grandfather to two girls. He has been married 37 years and he is a family man. It is […]

Daddy, it’s me, Sean!

A while back, Our teenage son had a pretty emotional moment. He was trying to talk to his daddy but he wasn’t making any connection with him. His daddy just […]

Helping LBD Resident Navigate LTC

Linda H., at her stage of LBD, is thriving in full time nursing home care. Living alone had become frightening for her. Now, she enjoys sitting by the nurse’s station […]

Barbara Leipow – Dorothy Mangurian Volunteer of the Year Award Recipient

Barbara Leipow is one of the recipients of this year’s Dorothy Mangurian Volunteer of the Year Award. Her background in nursing and personal experience with LBDA help her provide experienced […]

Kathy Teyler Jarrett – Dorothy Mangurian Volunteer of the Year Award Recipient

Kathy Teyler Jarrett is one of two recipients for this year’s Dorothy Mangorian Volunteer of the Year Award. She is dedicated to supporting the LBD community through service, and she […]

A Mother Managing Lewy

Michelle Pagans, a 53-year-old mother to a teen daughter and 27-year-old son, is taking on motherhood and Lewy body dementia (LBD) at the same time. In 2018, she started experiencing […]

Husband

I am my wife’s primary provider and caregiver and we are both retired as of June, 2018. In November, 2017 my wife, Debbie, was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment in […]

Love Binds

Pat and Ron Potter-Efron's story began over 50 years ago at Mcalester College. They were both Merit scholars and they originally met during a photoshoot for scholar winners. Though it […]