Still Phyllis: A Caregiver’s Memoir of Dementia and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Phyllis was a vital, single woman, a photographer and writer, who was enjoying life in the city when she was suddenly stricken by Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), a disease rarer than a lightning strike that spreads, incredibly, via a non-living molecule called a prion. Terrified to realize she couldn’t perform her duties at work, Phyllis very soon couldn’t even find her way to her desk or to her apartment from the corner store. Informed of his sister’s diagnosis with this dementing and always fatal illness, her estranged brother, her only living relative, brought her home (against the advice of her doctors) to care for her with his wife.

The profoundly affecting memoir illuminates how closeness can deepen when words are lost--an inspiring truth to anyone with a friend or family member with dementia.

Donald Friedman is the author of several novels and a regular contributor to Interfaces, a French/English scholarly journal. His blogs, essays, short stories, on camera interviews with famous writer-artists, and art gallery can be found at www.donaldfriedman.com. He lives in Rhinebeck, New York.