Plot

The plot of this memoir wraps around your typical suburban family, with a main focus on Mariam, or “Midge”, who is ultimately diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. In the beginning of the memoir we see Mariam as a free spirited individual, who has fond interests of poetry and taking care of her family, she is deeply in love with her husband Rob, and they have together two children: Sarah and Hannah. Midge was a hardworking passionate mother who took pleasure of the simple things in life, such as observing the beauty of nature. Mariam hits an unfortunate direction in her life when she begins to have mood problems, headaches, and her memory gets worse; she undergoes intensive tests to determine what the issue could be, with the result coming back as Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is a disease that is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior, this disease worsens over time and there is currently no cure for it. This disease has a huge impact on the families and friends of individuals who have it; it turns a one normal person into someone who forgets everything (talking, taking care of yourself, who your friends and family are), and once you are diagnosed with having Alzheimer’s the average life expectancy is 8-10 years. This memoir focuses on Mariam and her family, of their struggle with Alzheimer’s and how they dealt with it.

 References 

Alzheimer's Disease & Dementia | Alzheimer's Association. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2016, from http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp