Still Alice

by Lisa Genova

Her family and the community at Harvard would rally behind her battle and consider it noble. And even if defeated in the end, she’d be able to look them knowingly in the eye and say good-bye before she left.

Comparing society’s response to cancer versus to dementia was thought provoking. Why does one make you a hero and the other a pariah?

And when the burden of her disease exceeded the pleasure of that ice cream, she wanted to die.

Made me think of my grandma. When she had dementia, she could always be found enjoying her daily icecream. Made me smile.