Synopses & Reviews
Just Love Me reveals the thoughts and emotions of a woman struggling with a suddenly unmanageable life; numerous hospitalizations, suicide attempts, everyday turmoil, and finally, the arduous search for an accurate diagnosis of the illness responsible for it all: Alzheimer's disease (AD). This account is unique in that most books on the subject of Alzheimer's are written by a carepartner or medical professional. There are very few books actually written by a person living with the disease, and Just Love Me should be required reading for anyone who has any contact with a person afflicted with AD. This book is especially helpful for anyone related by birth, marriage, friendship, or those people who have a professional relationship with Alzheimer's sufferers. Jeanne Lee's very personal, frank description of her life experiences before, approaching, and during the early stages of AD enables readers to better understand the disease from the inside out; a view not often seen by non-sufferers. By getting inside the mind of the author and experiencing with her the worries and frustrations that constantly torment her, the symptoms of AD become less enigmatic for the reader.
About the Author
Jeanne L. Lee was born and raised in Portland, Oregon in 1941. She is the very proud mother of five children and four more by marriage. Her thirteen grandchildren are a large part of her life, even though they are miles apart. She has owned hair and nail salons, a printing brokerage and a bar and restaurant. She has also managed bars, graphics and printing shops and has even flown planes. After years of suicide attempts, marriages and mental institutions, her diagnosis was somewhat of a relief. She was no longer "crazy;" there was a name for this thing that was turning her world upside-down. It did not take too long to embark on a new journey promising herself no one else would go through this kind of suffering. She began a support group for early stage Alzheimer's when she could find little help elsewhere. Her next goal is to acquire funding to begin the first USA Alzheimer's Cafe (begun in the Netherlands), which allows a place for lectures, camaraderie, outings, exercise, love, laughter and tears for people with Alzheimer's and their supporters.