Love and Forgetting

A Husband and Wife’s Journey Through Dementia

By: Julie Macfie Sobol, Ken Sobol

Narrated by: Cookie Roscoe Handford

Freedom 55? The so-called “Golden Years”? What if you are slowly losing your memories and your motor skills? Or what if you are the devastated witness as your partner struggles with dementia? Lewy Body Disease is a form of dementia second only to Alzheimer’s in numbers, yet many doctors and almost no lay people have ever heard its name. This is the story of two courageous people, Julie and Ken Sobol, life partners as well as writing partners. Caught up in the frightening and fatal fog of Lewy Body Disease, they started writing this book together. As Ken’s disease progresses and his voice dwindles, Julie continues the narration, sharing her sadness, frustration, and attempts to find the best care for her husband. Their chronicling of the ravages wrought by LBD is intelligent, insightful, enlightening, and often humorous. It is - at heart - a love story.

©2013 Julie Macfie Sobol, Ken Sobol (P)2021 Second Story Press

Critic reviews

“It’s sheer grace under pressure.…There’s nothing maudlin; it’s written to edify readers, not provide catharsis for the writers. Its qualities are dignity and respect - for everyone, for life.” (Rick Salutin, Toronto Star, October 25, 2013)

“If you have ever cared for someone you loved, as they were dying, or if you have aging parents who now need your care and assistance, or if you have accepted that you may be dealing with some of these difficulties yourself, Love and Forgetting is a good guide.” (James Edward Reid, Bookshelf Bookstore, Bookshelf Reviews, November 10, 2013)

“With clarity and honesty, in a bold and intimate voice, the voice of Julie-and-Ken, this couple’s memoir certainly does raise awareness of LBD but, above all, it is a love story.” (Buried in Print, January 23, 2014)