In 2008, I learned my mother suffered from Alzheimer’s and the resulting grief led me to start writing my writing my thoughts down to help me process the news. Those thoughts became “Mama Is Still Here!” an inspirational tribute to my mother and a guide for those who find themselves in a similar situation. Like so many other tragic circumstances in life, seeing a loved one suffer from Alzheimer’s feels deeply personal, but involves struggles that are universal. In Mama Is Still Here! The book is about my mother’s experience with the disease now plaguing more than five million people in the United States captures both sides of the struggle. Throughout the book, readers gain a clear picture of who Daisy (the Mama in question) is. A great cook with a special skill for making coconut cake, the “family’s memory maker,” a doting mother and a loving wife; the woman at the center of the story shines through even as she sometimes fails to recognize those parts of herself. With this book, I celebrate all the things that make my mother special, while at the same painting a clear picture of the challenges most Alzheimer’s patients and their families face. For anyone who doesn’t know what to expect from an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, this book covers many of the basics: • The early days of denial, misdiagnosis and trying to cover the symptoms of the disease up. • The shock, disbelief, and “why me” sense of despair when the Alzheimer’s diagnosis finally comes. • All the little things that the Alzheimer’s patient can no longer do and needs help with – from cooking and running errands in the early days to getting dressed and bathing herself in the later days. • The techniques caregivers must figure out to work around the problems Alzheimer’s causes. Also, I recount scenes of distracting my mother from her despair by telling old family stories, and easing transitions from one place to another by making them as quick as possible.