Denver Smith has composed this lengthy paean to his beloved wife Marcia. He lived with her for nineteen years, but for much of that time she suffered from Alzheimer's, and for six years he was her 24-7 caregiver. This book comprises a day-by-day journal of Marcia's slow, discouraging decline. Even when Smith had help from family, friends, and professionals, he oversaw every aspect of Marcia's needs, from the early days when various medications staved off the disease, to the end when she died quietly at home. One can clearly discern that after a time, Marcia was no longer "present" as the vibrant partner Smith had married, and Smith tried valiantly to love her and respect her despite her waning awareness of the world around her. He took inspiration from a poem he had read, called "Alzheimer’s Victim Request":

I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I NEED YOU
THE BEST OF ME IS GONE
I NEED YOU TO BE BESIDE ME
AND LOVE ME UNTIL I'M GONE

Smith admits he is new to writing, but he took care to keep an accurate record of Marcia's last years, along with a short chapter about how they met and fell in love. In fact, it is a cogent account, and one senses that keeping it helped him to come to terms with events as they unfolded. He recognizes that, frustrating as the process was, he was not dealing with the person he loved, but with the results of her disease. His book, though undeniably sad, may still serve as an inspiration and a guide to relatives of Alzheimer's victims, and may encourage them to keep a journal of their own experiences as a path to emotional healing.

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