What Are the Odds….…Of All Four People Being Affected by My Experience?

I needed my hair done for a major book presentation and sought my long time hair stylist who’s seen me through many events (weddings, etc.) Problem? Donna Simonelli (her photo’s on the right) would be on vacation in Costa Rica. So, she offered her friend/stylist Christine Corio DiBenedetto, whom I also knew, to stand in for her.

While Christine worked on my hair, we spoke about my book and the event that prompted my visit. That’s when Christine mentioned she had a client who might welcome my book, since that young woman is a Caregiver. So, she ordered the book through Amazon and asked me if I’d sign it when she got it.

Time went by and when I arrived for my next appointment, I told Christine I could sign and she said: “Oh, Colleen, I already gave the book to my client….and you know what? You know her. She is the Caregiver for a man who lives right down the street from you.” She told me my neighbor’s name.

I was stunned. The young woman is a Caregiver for a man about whom I write in the book. A neighbor who frequently visited me when he was stressed with sole caregiving for his wife of many years, a wife who had Alzheimer’s.

I’d lead him through my one level home out to the front steps where he’d break down and cry. And I’d listen and offer comfort, for Dave knew: I am a partner to one similarly afflicted (my husband).

His wife had been so successful; she read the New York Times every day; she completed the crossword puzzles; she’d been active in their church. In other words, she was a committed, involved citizen and partner. Now, she had Alzheimer’s.

Dave cared for her for years and then, he ended up placing her in a residential facility. She lived another few years. He’d visit often but eventually, she didn’t even know him.

Now, he is diagnosed with his own cognitive impairment.

And the young woman caring for him? Well, she is hairstylist Christine’s client and the recipient of the book.

Furthermore, this young woman is a niece of a high school friend of mine.

So, what are the odds of my book being bought by my stand-in hairstylist for the Caregiver of my long time neighbor and friend– a Caregiver who also happens to be the niece of my long-ago classmate?

Actually, those odds are pretty good, according to Dr. Alan Grindal, neurologist affiliated with Sarasota Memorial Hospital (Fl.) who predicts: “By 2050, there’s only going to be two types of people in the world: those with Alzheimer’s and the ones taking care of them.”

Hyperbole? Possibly. But you get the message.

Life truly astounds me…..Just one more example of the Six Degrees of Separation whereby we are all interconnected.

But this particular event began with two hairstylists who care for their clients…

Az and Me: A Partner’s Journey with Alzheimer’s is currently on Amazon’s Best Sellers’ List. Order the book  via this link or at  colleenkellymellor.com.

Consider this book as a gift for someone who is now a Caregiver—or someone who will be in that role in future (in other words—everyone). Keep a copy for your own needs because this is a guide, telling you how to avoid spending needlessly; how to evaluate “senior attorneys,” how to get a copy of your loved one’s military record of long-ago; how to deal with repetitive actions and questions from cognitively disabled loved one; how and when to choose a residential facility); why you should dress your loved one in a color that shouts. In other words, all sorts of information.

And, it’s got humor, because as a former junior high teacher for 23 years, I always recognize the need to lace important info with a “spoonful of honey.”

Read the critics’ reviews on the Amazon site of my book,  Az and Me: A Partner’s Journey with Alzheimer’s. Readers like my book because it’s ‘easy-to-read’ and “enjoyable.”

I predict: Book recipients (and you) will appreciate my book. They’ll thank you for the money and sanity-saving tips and suggestions I offer, all based on my own 13+ years of Caregiving experience.