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 Life in the Balance Nov 23, 2009
This was an informative and easy read. I read it in one session. I bought 3 more and gave to caregivers of people with this problem and gave one to my doctor. My husband has this illness and I am thinking of asking him to read the book. It is for once a book with some positive attitude and full of helps.
 A moving story Oct 11, 2009
Dr. Thomas Graboys was a distinguished heart doctor who seemed to have it all. He had lost his first wife to cancer but was newly married to a wonderful, smart, sexy woman and he was at the top of his profession. Then he was struck by an aggressive form of Parkinson's Disease called Lewy body disease that not only attacked his body but also his mind.
I have a personal interest in this book. Someone I love deeply has been fighting Parkinson's for years, though thankfully not the same kind that struck Graboys. Her mind is still intact. He is suffering from creeping dementia.
Graboys is painfully honest in this book. He talks about how he tried for months to continue his work, battling through exhaustion and mental lapses, until he was forced to admit he could not carry on. Being a doctor defined him -- and now it is gone.
He also discusses his attempts to preserve a form of physical intimacy with his wife and the pain of watching a virile, physically fit body decay along with his sexuality.
Graboys also frankly speaks about his marriage. He was already experiencing early symptoms of the disease when he married his wife Vicki -- but he was in a state of deep denial. She thought she was marrying a capable, virile man. Instead, she got an invalid who needs virtual around-the-clock care. This "original sin" placed a tremendous burden on the marriage.
The most significant service this book performs is to restore the dignity of a man who has lost so much. Graboys teaches us that a person should not be defined by his sickness. His determination to fight every step of the way against his inevitable decline is inspiring.
The weakest part of the book are the segments contributed by the author's children, step-children and in-laws. They are repetitive and seemed designed to pad out the book. They weaken the overall message by diluting the force of the author's own words.
Experiencing Parkinson's Dementia with Lewy Bodies Oct 07, 2009
This is a well written book giving a window into what it is truly like to have Parkinson's with Dementia. Hearing the experience of a physician with the disorder as well as personal accounts from all of his family members is incredibly informative in understanding what a loved one is dealing with.
A must read for all ages. Sep 10, 2009
You must read this book, as it tells the story of an illness that very few people understand. Doctor Grayboys has lived this life, and proven that others can continue on, even with the worst of debilitating circumstances.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Did I Read the Same Book? Aug 16, 2009
Walking a fine line here -- Dr. Graboys has been hit by a monstrous piece of bad luck and is fighting it bravely. That said, and rightfully so, I don't think this is a very good book. Far too much of it is devoted to telling the reader over and over again what a wonderful doctor, wonderful guy, and beautiful -- in the physical sense -- guy Dr. Graboys was before struck by Parkinson's and by dementia. He does it, his co-writer does it, his family does it. For me it wore a little thin. So he was part of the dream team for Reggie Lewis? That's impressive, but tell me once, not half a dozen times.
And is no one else terrified by the fact that Dr. Graboys, though suffering from dementia and having had two car accidents in a month, was -- at least at the time this book went to print -- still driving? In my view, though it certainly enables him to maintain shreds of his former life, that's a colossal act of irresponsibility, his own and that of his doctors. Also, and to his credit Dr. Graboys recognizes this point a couple times in the book, with his resources and his ability to buy the best care and support he can, Dr. Graboys is much better off in fighting his disease than the huge majority of those struck by the same fate.
The last two chapters are the best of the book as Dr. Graboys shifts from lamenting his bad luck and lost past to offering a number of thoughtful ideas on coping with chronic disease. More of that and more analysis of the progression of his own symptoms would have made this a better book for me.
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