In April 2015, Bob & I will begin a 500-mile walk on the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. We are doing the walk to raise awareness and money for the Lewy Body Dementia Association. My dad, Chuck Truckenbrodt, developed Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) in 2007 and died from complications of LBD in 2014. In the first four years of his disease, he was misdiagnosed by four doctors, including three of whom were neurologists. It was incredibly frustrating for him and our family. Our fundraising goal is $10,000.*
What is Lewy Body Dementia?
Lewy Body Dementia is the second-most-common form of dementia! If you haven’t heard of it, you are not alone. Tragically, many doctors are not even familiar with the disease. The Lewy Body Dementia Association is working to educate doctors and the public about signs to look for and therapies to slow the progression of the disease, as well as funding for research to cure LBD.
Dad’s Signs of Lewy Body Dementia
Lewy Body Dementia is VERY different from Alzheimer’s Disease. For example, my dad had very good long- and short-term memory. If we told him we would take him to the movies at 7:00 Monday night of the following week, he could remember. However, he couldn’t remember how to button his shirt, fasten his belt or count money to buy the movie ticket. Dad earned an MBA from the University of Chicago and an Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Illinois. He was a very smart man and had excellent common sense so when he started forgetting simple processes, it was frightening for him and for those of us watching his decline.
All his life he was an optimistic positive man but because of LBD he developed depression. Who can blame him? About the only fortunate thing about Dad’s LBD is he always remembered family and friends and we were able to enjoy meaningful conversations with him almost until the end of his life.
Additionally, he was an athletic tall man but he started walking stooped over with a shuffle and sometimes shaking his arms uncontrollably. A large part of Lewy Body Dementia is Parkinson’s Disease. People with LBD always also have symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. Dad ran 10k races well into his 60s but started slowing down to long walks as his disease progressed. As a very active person, walking his dog was the single hobby he was able to continue almost until the end of his life. He would have loved to do this fundraising walk with us!
To donate to our fundraising effort for the Lewy Body Dementia Association please visit our special fundraising site HERE.*
*Our actual walk in April will be funded entirely from our savings. ALL money donated will go directly to the Lewy Body Dementia Association.