Wendy Mitchell is a 58-year-old woman with the vital job of scheduling nurses for the British National Health Service. In addition to having raised her two daughters alone, she climbs mountains and is a dedicated runner. A series of falls while out running sends her seeking medical help, and she is diagnosed with a stroke. But while she recovers, other troubling symptoms keep occurring, which prompts extensive testing to be done. A devastating diagnosis of young-onset Alzheimer’s turns her world upside down.

Wendy worries about how long she can continue to perform her responsible job, but her main concern is to remain independent as long as possible. She resolves not to be a burden on her daughters, and insists that when the time comes, they will not become her caregivers.

"SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW is a testament to one woman’s desire to remain independent and relevant, and live with dignity, even as she faces a very cruel future."

Sometimes Wendy’s head feels fuzzy, and she struggles as she loses words that had been right on the tip of her tongue. When driving, she cannot remember how to make a right turn and soon realizes she must put away her car keys. Phone calls become difficult as her brain cannot keep up with the conversation. But she can still manage quite well with email, and her iPad becomes her auxiliary memory as she enters reminders to take her medication and eat something even though she is not hungry.

Wendy is determined to keep her disease at bay as long as she possibly can. She gets a bus pass and with much effort and frustration learns how to get around that way. And get around she does. She is eager to learn as much as she can about ways to live with Alzheimer’s, so she joins support groups, enters a clinical trial where she is emphatic that she does not want to receive the placebo, and becomes an advocate for Alzheimer’s, traveling by bus to London and other cities to take part in seminars. She is asked to review the film Still Alice and even meets Julianne Moore, who portrayed the fictional Alice. Though she feels empowered that she is doing all she can, the fear and panic of what lies ahead  keeps her motivated.

Behind the scenes, life for Wendy, who lives alone, is complicated and fraught with frustration and disappointment. She forgets that she has food on the stove and has to abandon cooking to avoid starting a fire. Disturbed sleep and nightmares are side effects of her medication, donepezil, until she learns to take it at a different time of day. She has no idea of the existence of items inside closed closet and cupboard doors. She photographs the contents and tapes the pictures to the outside of the doors. She even places adhesive letter Ts to her bathroom doors to remind herself that there is a toilet inside. She fights in every way possible to live as normal a life as the disease will allow. But she is losing ground and knows this will continue on to its inevitable conclusion.

Still, Wendy retains her sense of humor. She tells friends, “Your secret is safe with me. I’ll have forgotten by the time we walk out of the room.”

SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW is a testament to one woman’s desire to remain independent and relevant, and live with dignity, even as she faces a very cruel future. To learn more about this brave, remarkable lady and to follow her journey, please visit her blog.