The Diagnosis That Changes Everything When Catherine received her Early-Onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis in her fifties, it was the kind of news that stops time. For those living through it, especially as a partner and caregiver, the reality doesn’t match what most people imagine from the disease’s name. Early-Onset Alzheimer’s doesn’t announce itself with dramatic memory […]
Caregiving is one of the hardest things a person can take on. When the person you love has Alzheimer’s, the emotional weight is relentless. The grief is layered, the exhaustion is real, and the moments of joy can feel fragile. Many caregivers describe a slow erosion of their own identity as the role consumes more […]
Most people think of Alzheimer’s disease as something that happens in old age. And while that is the most common pattern, Early-Onset Alzheimer’s is a real and often overlooked form of the disease that can appear in a person’s forties or fifties, sometimes even earlier. Missing the early signs does not just delay a diagnosis. […]
There is something about turning 60 that sharpens your sense of time. The window for certain physical adventures does not close at 60, but it does get your attention. If you have been putting off a bucket-list race, now is exactly the right moment to stop waiting. Anthony Copeland-Parker, the author behind Running With Cat, […]
Most people assume that becoming a caregiver means your world gets smaller. You stop making plans. You cancel the trips. You settle into a routine built around doctors’ appointments and medication schedules, and you tell yourself that adventure is something that belongs to another chapter of your life. But that assumption deserves a hard look. […]
Most people slow down after a serious health scare in their fifties. A heart-valve diagnosis, a partner’s life-altering illness, the weight of it all. The reasonable response is to rest, to recalibrate, to let the world shrink a little. Anthony Copeland-Parker did the opposite. When Anthony and his partner Catherine received back-to-back diagnoses, including a […]
On the Road Again Life after caring for a loved one with early-onset Alzheimer’s As many of you know Catherine Elizabeth Popp passed away on September 26, 2025, after a 12-year ordeal with Early Onset Alzheimer’s. My previous blog, Kismet, gives you the details of her final personified powers and passing. Some people live longer […]
KISMET A hypothetical force or personified power that determines the course of future events: FATE/DESTINY Cat’s power and spirit were personified in the final week of her life. On Friday, September 19th Cat clinched her teeth while I was feeding her breakfast. We had many discussions about her desires and her health care directive clearly […]
“The only thing constant is change”- Heraclitus The Ancient philosopher Heraclitus believed that the universe is in a state of perpetual flux. He illustrated this with the idea that you can’t step into the same river twice, because the water’s always flowing and changing. At its core, the saying is a reminder that change is […]
This is Another First As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have a somewhat neophiliac personality. A neophiliac is someone who is strongly enthusiastic about novelty and new experiences. I love to do something for the first time. We have all heard the saying, There is a first for everything. The saying “There’s a […]
