Reviews
This story is real. Meryl and Harvey are real. I don't know what it's going to take to wake the public up to this emerging catastrophe, but I suspect that emotional honesty is a key ingredient. Thank you, Meryl Comer, for telling it exactly like it is., Slow Dancing With a Stranger is a remarkable and moving story that will change the way our generation thinks about how we deal with aging and caring for those we love. An amazing journey of caring, love, and resilience., Meryl Comer's account is a page-turner; it is wrenching, soul-baring and beautifully written. It should shock the nation into providing more support-both for Alzheimer's research and treatments, and for the legions of family caregivers who will bear ever-growing burdens in the future., With her trademark honesty and class, Meryl Comer shares her struggles and triumphs in dealing with Alzheimer's, one of life's most devastating diseases. In Slow Dancing With A Stranger , she charts paths that others can follow and recharges the public conversation about a pending global epidemic., An unflinching and intimate account...conveys a sense of passion and even frustration with a society that [Comer] believes has been slow to acknowledge the spread of Alzheimer's disease or make adequate provisions to tend to its caregivers., An unsparing and moving account of the symptoms of early Alzheimer's disease and at the same time a call to arms, a memoir and an accurate clinical description....The author's account will help open readers' minds to the need for early diagnosis of this devastating global illness., Comer received the Sargent and Eunice Shriver Profiles in Dignity Award in 2004, for her work as a dedicated advocate and remarkable, decade-long caregiver. Fast forward a decade later. In Slow Dancing With A Stranger , Meryl shows what it truly means to stay the course., Meryl Comer's account is a page-turner; it is wrenching, soul-baring and beautifully written. It should shock the nation into providing more support--both for Alzheimer's research and treatments, and for the legions of family caregivers who will bear ever-growing burdens in the future., Although [Meryl Comer] would say she doesn't deserve the recognition, she definitely deserves the 'Rock Star of Humanity' award for her caregiving and her humanitarian work., Slow Dancing with a Stranger is a poignant story of Alzheimer's disease robbing memory, personality, life and dignity... Meryl's book is a daily motivation for me personally to find a medicine against this terrible disease which is impacting so many lives., Meryl is a trailblazer in every aspect of Alzheimer's and it shines through in this wonderful new book chronicling her long and winding journey with this devastating disease., Turning tragedy into art and productive work is a hallmark of the great human spirit. Meryl has done this in a very emotional, engaging and thoughtful manner. The book should be read by all, but especially those with Alzheimer's disease in their lives., This is a great love story in an era when love has become an all too shallow emotional commodity. 'For better, for worse, in sickness and in health' has never been made more powerful in its deepest sense., Meryl Comer's account is a page-turner; it is wrenching, soul-baring and beautifully written. It should shock the nation into providing more support—both for Alzheimer's research and treatments, and for the legions of family caregivers who will bear ever-growing burdens in the future., Relates in very human terms the essence of palliative care. Not only did the author care for her husband with unconditional love, but optimized whatever physical and mental capacities were left to preserve his dignity. Readers will be inspired to want to help both victims and caregivers., Alzheimer's disease is a slow killer of the health and spirit of the caregiver- the secondary victim. Comer's pain is contained in elegant writing and channeled into a worthy purpose. This book is a call to action as haunting and urgent as Rachel Carson's Silent Spring ., In an unvarnished account of caring for a husband with dementia, Meryl Comer lays out the struggles and gallantry of a devoted and remarkable caregiver., Meryl Comer's heart wrenching story will resonate with the millions of families who know the devastation of Alzheimer's disease first hand. Her journey makes a powerful and compelling case for the urgent need to support Alzheimer's prevention trials., Written with great insight and tenderness, Slow Dancing With a Stranger is both a cautionary tale and a call to arms as Meryl Comer helps lead the charge to beat this horrific disease before it beats us., As a physician-scientist who has studied Alzhiemer's disease for more than 25 years, and a son with a 99-year-old mom with Alzheimer's dementia, I recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with the tormenting issues of Alzheimer's care., Meryl Comer in Slow Dancing with a Stranger unveils Alzheimer's Disease in a remarkable and vulnerable way. Her personal story provides knowledge, inspiration and hope to us all. Her heroism jumps out from the pages and hopefully will motivate generations to make a difference against this horrible disease., Meryl Comer offers an unvarnished account of her experience as her husband's caretaker after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Comer has become an advocate for the need for early diagnosis and treatment for Alzheimer's. A poignant love story with a powerful message., Meryl Comer's Slow Dancing with a Stranger takes us into the tragedy that is Alzheimer's disease and shows what is ahead for nearly half of us who live to age 85. We must respond to this emergency and Meryl courageously shows us why., I think there's a mythology that Alzheimer's is a passive fading away of an individual. Meryl's book highlights in a personal way the real story, the impact of the disease not just on the victim but on the entire family., No silver linings, no phony homages to 'spiritual growth.' Meryl Comer writes the unvarnished reality of being exposed as a wife, daughter, caregiver, and potential Alzheimer's victim herself. Admire her bravery and honesty and applaud her for taking away some of the loneliness of the long distance caregiver., Meryl Comer is one of my heroes. With unflinching courage, candor, and determination, she eloquently underscores the terrible toll that Alzheimer's takes on patients and families and the urgent need for us to address this unacceptable problem once and for all.
