Remember When

My life with Alzheimer's

De: Fiona Phillips

Narrado por: Julie Maisey, Martin Frizell

This audiobook is narrated by Julie Maisey and Fiona's husband, Martin Frizell.

'I hope this book can show people a little about what it is like to live with Alzheimer’s. How frightening and confusing it is. But also how much life can still bring joy and be valued.'

Much-loved broadcaster Fiona Phillips was sixty-one when she discovered that she had early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. She had cared for her parents who had both suffered from the disease and now she was facing the same heartbreaking diagnosis – under no illusions about what it would mean for her and her family.

With courage and determination, Fiona set out to chronicle what was happening to her in the hope that her book would help others. From the tiny first warning signs – the inability to concentrate and the ‘brain fog’ she wrote off as the menopause – to the gradual loss of her memories and her growing confusion, she reveals how the disease progresses and how she copes. She also shares her experiences with the NHS and the systems that may seem hard for patients and their families to navigate.

Written with Fiona’s trademark honesty, Remember When is a compelling and moving memoir as well as a book offering an important insight into life with a disease that will impact many of us.

'Fiona is one of the strongest, kindest and bravest women I know and her honesty and resilience shine through on every page' – Lorraine Kelly

'Fiona and her family are just incredible! The strength, the love, the way they’ve handled everything with such grace and courage is so inspiring' – Alison Hammond

Reseñas de la Crítica

Fiona is one of the strongest, kindest and bravest women I know and her honesty and resilience shine through on every page (Lorraine Kelly)

Fiona and her family are just incredible! The strength, the love, the way they’ve handled everything with such grace and courage is so inspiring (Alison Hammond)

The nation fell in love with Fiona, the queen of the breakfast TV sofa, as she seamlessly manoeuvred her way from skewering the PM to flirting with Donny Osmond to debating the very real dangers of killer bed slippers. Reading this book, you’ll fall in love with her all over again, as I have (Ben Shephard)

The Brutal Truth of Alzheimer's

This book validated my feelings about my diagnosis of Early Onset of Alzheimer's. I'm a year older than the author and as she spoke about her diagnosis I felt like she was telling my story. I cried at times and cheered her on at times. We're a lot alike but my parents didn't have Alzheimer's.
Ten years before I got diagnosed with Alzheimer's I was diagnosed with Scleroderma. It's an awful disease that has no cure just as Alzheimer's doesn't have a cure. In 2014 my Rheumatologist told me I had about 5 years to live. I have fought the disease with all of the strength I have. Now that I have Alzheimer's I'm no longer fighting it. I had a team of 5 doctors who worked together to help me live as long as possible. With the Alzheimer's I'm no longer fighting for my life. I hope Scleroderma kills me before the Alzheimer's for the sake of my children.

An open and honest account.

First. Thank you. This is a wonderful book and a well produced listening experience. It’s spoken in my kind of language and is not a downer but real, dealing with the hard truths of this illness but has lots of joyful and fascinating moments too. It is easy to listen to as a good memoir (apart from the main subject) very well read and takes the listener through Fiona’s life and family background. I had shied away from listening to it until now and I’m so glad I have finally listened to it. Additionally it gives the isolated perspective of the primary carer too who will have their own emotional and mental stability tested to the max. Such inadequate support for the early onset situation.
Fiona has had such an interesting life and career and as we know is an exceptional person.
This illness is one that can affect so many of us and we all want to turn away from and pretend it will go away. It deals with what for some families becomes an elephant in the room. It’s so hard to address the issue when the subject is a very strong career driven person who is used to being in Control even when all the close friends and family know there’s an issue. People look away and glance at each other with concern on their eyes.
What Fiona and Martin have shared is of such value giving me a little extra strength as I am dealing with my wife in her mid 60s who has not been diagnosed but clearly knows something is wrong. She has been seeing therapists and psychiatrists who have her on a range of psyc medications ( ADHD, anti anxiety, antidepressants) but have yet to get to grips with what she is cognitively dealing with.
I don’t know the person she can sometimes become. While from the outside seemingly enjoying a normal life I’m dealing with the forgetfulness one would expect and rather shocking rage, tears, accusations, paranoia and delusion on top of the challenges of me being the support for living on a daily basis. This has been deteriorating for years. I have become the enabler following and fixing.
The book helps me understand my predicament and helps my fragile mental state so I don’t feel so alone. It’s the weirdest and most difficult situation of my life that I am so inadequately equipped to deal with as is our medical system in Los Angeles. So I can totally relate, even though each case is unique I see lots of parallels and sadly fear there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
The book emotionally helps one acknowledge the need to be proactive as the spouse or person closest to the subject and get specialist medical attention to understand what’s happening and address the situation as appropriate. And persevere on a daily basis. While I still have hope that my wife will eventually be diagnosed with a different condition that can be addressed or treated and improved, at this point I have to be open minded. It’s scary and I don’t feel I’m on solid ground.

Best book on Alzheimer’s

Nothing to dislike. Most honest account on her husband’s side of things. Has helped me enormously. I’ve read a few