Facing life with dementia and discovering a positive path

I thought dementia was all about losing myself, but I have found sides to me I never knew I had

It was at work where I noticed my first symptoms. I was a non-clinical team leader training matrons and sisters in the art of electronic rostering. My girls called me a workaholic. My brilliant memory, the thing I relied on most, started letting me down badly. Simple words failed me in meetings, the names of colleagues I'd worked with for years were suddenly a mystery. I used to take long runs by the river to unwind, but my brain stopped communicating with my legs and I started having falls. I knew somehow that things were not right, but when I finally went to the doctors it took a long time to get the diagnosis. Initially my symptoms were dismissed as age or stress related (I was 58), but I was persistent and knew how the system worked. When I finally received the diagnosis, in 2014, it was devastating but it was also, bizarrely, a relief. It finally put an end to all the uncertainties which meant I could now start planning my life with this new, unexpected label attached.

I was determined to choose a positive path. The very nature of my diagnosis signalled the loss of the old me - my memories, my tastes, my abilities, my plans I took for granted - but, more importantly, it signalled the birth of the new me, a new chance. Many find it hard to believe, but I feel I've gained more than I've lost.