Denisa Harvey shares her riveting story of how she navigated the caregiver role for an unpredictable and difficult to identify brain disease. Countless hard choices were made as she advocated for her husband while facing his confused resistance and even aggressive hostility. This compelling tale will keep you engaged and anxiously wondering how she managed to traverse so many precarious situations with patience and compassion.
If the role of caregiver is either waiting for you down the road or you are in the process of adjusting to that new lifestyle; you are not alone and your emotions are not unwarranted. This fascinating book takes the reader through the mysterious and dramatic twists and turns of caring for someone you love but whose degenerative brain disease makes them unrecognizable.
Justin Carter, LISW-CP
Clinical Social Worker with over 10 years at LifeCare Hospice
Walk with author, Denisa L. Harvey through the daunting illness of Frontotemporal Dementia. She was barreling down the road of life with husband Timothy, two children, a great job and a beautiful home in the quaint little town where she grew up. In the eyes of many they had it all. Truthfully, they certainly had all that mattered. However, in the early 2000s strange things began to take a toll on their family dynamics. It would be years of doctor’s visits and counseling sessions before the whole picture of their destiny would be revealed. Eventually it was revealed in the form of an odd visitor that almost destroyed their family. Stroll down the road of life with this family who braved the odds in the face of FTD and refused to believe there were no answers. The Harvey family weathered one storm after another almost never knowing what was around the next curve.
Denisa Harvey lives in South Carolina with a keen desire to share the lessons she learned through years of caring for Timothy. By sharing the difficult, times Denisa hopes to let fellow caregivers know they are not alone. In sharing Denisa weaves a tale of strength especially for caregivers who have sacrificed careers, retirement accounts and a life of normalcy to care for their loved one. These caregivers are members of a silent, reluctant army who march on without training and often without resources. They are your church members, your neighbors down the street and the people you work with day in and day out. “FTD, The Mime No One Invited to Dinner” can be used as an effective tool in facilitating caregiver support groups of any size. Denisa hopes to meet with support groups when possible and is available upon request, depending on location and availability.