The Words She Left Behind

She didn't know it, but her death sentence came in late July 2024. We all knew something was very wrong with my aunt Toni-she was unraveling. Toni became the worst possible version of herself, day by day, and sometimes, moment by moment. I never told her, but on a quick Saturday morning phone call with my aunt's neurologist, she was diagnosed with the most common form of dementia-Alzheimer's disease. This diagnosis changed everything, including the hate I carried for her for almost two decades.

The Words She Left Behind is a deeply personal memoir about the author's journey in watching her aunt Toni slowly disappear from Alzheimer's disease, while uncovering lost secrets about her aunt's past. When Tanya first becomes Toni's caretaker by necessity, she discovers over forty years of her aunt's journals tucked away in a forgotten attic. Through reading Toni's firsthand account of her progression through the terminal disease, Tanya begins to find understanding and empathy that leads to healing for their whole family-a family who suffered greatly due to Toni's decade of delusions and hallucinations.

This story shows the unraveling that occurs years before an Alzheimer's diagnosis, the persistence to seek healing, and the grief that happens before death. Caregivers will relate to the personal account of Alzheimer's impact on a family, the inside look into the mind of a loved one facing deterioration, and the understanding that leads to forgiveness.