Episode 1 TRANSCRIPT
“The Alzheimer's Thriver Podcast - Words from the Horse’s Mouth”
{Janna plays Flute Intro}
Janna: Hi friends, I am Janna. For those of you who have not met me yet, let me say that like many of you, I have Alzheimer's. I have been living with it for some 10 years now.
Even though I've adopted the title of Alzheimer's ThriverTM, it sure didn't start out that way. My first reaction to the diagnosis was complete denial. As a middle school and high school teacher for more than 20 years, I couldn't believe what was happening to my brain and to the quality of my life.
“This will not get the best of me,” I thought. “No, I can kick this thing.”
I wasn't the only one that didn't want to believe it. At first, my friends, family and peers didn't believe it either. They would say, Janna, you don't have Alzheimer's. When I would begin to mumble and stumble when speaking, or fought to remember things, got disoriented, or stopped being able to read or write, I felt such shame.
I really began to feel like the victim. I would often lay on my bed at night in remorse and ask God to take me home now ...It just hurts too much.
However, in time, I began to change my outlook for several reasons ...in particular, after the gracious prompt I was given by my son, Kyle, who said, “Mom, maybe you just need to change your narrative.”
I also recalled my high school friend, Sharon, who proclaimed, “Jan, you're undaunted.”
She would say this in response to the many risks I took skiing, hiking, and adventuring through the years.
Another encouragement for changing my viewpoint and one of my biggest motivators to seek improvement was the outcome of the *Nun-Study. I have put a link below so you can see for yourself. These 678 nuns donated their brains to science and agreed to be tested yearly throughout their senior years. After passing on, many of their brains showed evidence of Alzheimer's. But during their life with the disease, they showed little or no symptoms.
Of course, every patient is unique. And though I am no doctor or counselor, I have been doing the research and living the life. And I know that in my case, there have been gains along with losses that have come with my change in attitude and the new things I do for my brain.
The Nun Study encouraged me to seek a pathway for becoming an Alzheimer's thriver. So, you will hear about my epiphanies, practices, and methods which have proven helpful in slowing the disease's progress.
I can't promise that by following my example, you'll get all the same results. As they say, if you've met one Alzheimer's patient, you've met one Alzheimer's patient. But maybe the things I share with you will ease the pain you and your family are feeling in the face of the disease. Whether you are watching a video listening to Apple podcast or reading a post, you'll be hearing directly from the horse's mouth.
I will post my talks as often as I am able. Please explore the links I share or have a loved one help you with it. Be sure to follow and subscribe and allow notifications so I can let you know whenever I post something.
I'll be using YouTube, Apple podcast, X, formerly Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Spotify. Let me know if you'd like to add your other favorite media source if I didn't just mention it. Until then, Janna, an Alzheimer's ThriverTM ...signing off.