By
Max Wallack
Puzzles to
Remember
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Last night, I finally had the honor to meet Meryl Comer,
someone I have looked up to for some time. Ms. Comer invited me to participate in an event at the New York Public Library,
where she gave a presentation about Alzheimer’s Disease, her efforts, and her
book, Slow Dancing With a Stranger.
Meryl Comer, President of the Geoffrey Beene Alzheimer’s
Initiative, is an Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist and a leading
Alzheimer’s advocate. She is also a
caregiver for over 20 years to her husband, a physician with early-onset
Alzheimer’s disease
.
Ms Comer’s book is unique in its unflinching honesty. She doesn’t hesitate to talk about the pain
of watching a loved one sink into the depths of this disease. She doesn’t gloss over the indignities that
late-stage Alzheimer’s brings. Her book
is very important for the millions of caregivers who share similar experiences
and yet think they are alone. All
profits from her book are donated for Alzheimer’s research.
Ms. Comer asked me to speak briefly to the younger members
of the audience, sharing some of my own story as a young caregiver and my research
interests.
I also had the opportunity to meet Amber Roniger, Dr. Sam
Gandy, from Mt. Sinai Hospital, Dr. Richard S. Isaacson, from Weill Cornell
Medical Center, and Max Lugavere, filmmaker.
It was a very worthwhile trip.
Max Wallack is a student at Boston
University and a Research Intern in the Molecular Psychiatry and Aging
Laboratory in the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at
Boston University School of Medicine. His great
grandmother, Gertrude, suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Max is the founder of PUZZLES TO
REMEMBER. PTR is a project that provides
puzzles to nursing homes and veterans institutions that care for Alzheimer's
and dementia patients.
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