I am so saddened to tell everyone that the world lost a great man, my husband, Richard Bay, on January 8, 2016. His horrendous battle with Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Degeneration (bvFTD) is finally over. He is out of pain and for that we are all grateful. Rich battled this beast for eight …
FTD
THE FTD Warrior
Rich wrote this a couple of days ago. He rides an emotional roller coaster all day long. It is often tortuous for him. It is really hard to watch and I often feel helpless to stop his pain. As I have said before, "FTD (Frontotemporal Degeneration) is NOT a floral delivery." This is what Rich …
Music sometimes helps Rich to recenter when his emotions are all over the place.
Allison’s Story: “My Papa and FTD”
My Papa and FTD My granddaughter, Allison (age 7), loves to write stories. Click on the title above to read the story she wrote about Rich, my husband and her Papa, who struggles with Frontotemporal Degeneration. …
EXCITED FOR OUR DAUGHTER, TARA
We Can't Do This Forever (Click on the above song title to take you to Amazon to purchase the song.) Our daughter Tara, has produced her original song, "We Can't Do This Forever." My husband, Tara's dad, is the drummer for the production and that means so much to all of us. The song is amazing and …
POST BY RICH: The Power of Prayer, Meditation and Positive Thinking
I am not a "formally religious" person, however I follow a spiritual path and believe in a higher power. Since I have been struggling with this illness, family and friends have told me with extreme sincerity, that they pray for me. They do this in a formal religious manner, a spiritual manner and …
GRANDMA IS NO FUN
Illness in a home affects everyone. It touches each person in a variety of ways. Ally wrote this sign tonight and I did not even know what to say. I guess because she is right. I don't think I'm fun anymore either. Fun takes energy, time and the ability to put everything else -- all the gotta do's …
POST BY RICH: Reach Out For A Friend
As you know, if you've been following my blog, I walk everyday to exercise and, more importantly, to find some peace of mind even for a little while. While I walk, I listen to music as a further support for emotional calmness. Every once in a while, I come across a song that connects with what my …
CHORES
Rich's intention to do chores and his actual follow-through are two very different things. Sometimes it takes little reminders and then it MIGHT get done. …
POST BY RICH: CHEERLEADING
Well, as you can see from Patty's added remarks to my blog from yesterday, despite my "trying," the hours after my workout, and the remainder of the day, went down the toilet. So much for "trying" to be supportive and act like a cross between a cheerleader and a Marine Corps drill …