#125 Anne, Edie and Shinji

Ballarat is about an hour and a half from Melbourne. On non-local trips Jane usually comes along. We were scheduled to arrive at 11am and oddly I was on time. Anne was impressed. I was surprised. (My on-time arrival rate isn’t 100%).

We were both greeted with a warm hug as if old friends. We sat around the dining table sipping tea, chatting, and eating Boston buns. Then Anne took out her iPad and showed us their segment on the 7.30 Report. That’s when the tears let loose. Yes, we cried. We spent two hours with Anne and Edie, we shared bread and stories. To say these ladies touched our hearts is an understatement. Thank you, Anne and Edie, for being so generous. Much love.

Their Story
Edie, my partner has Younger Onset Dementia (diagnosis prior to aged 65), We celebrate 32 years together this year and have had a wonderful and full life. Edie was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2010 and is quite inspirational in the way she accepts this reality and lives out her life with love, grace, and good humour.

We now put our energies into supporting others with younger onset dementia and advocating for marriage equality. We have presented at several Alzheimer’s Australia conferences over the years, including the “Let’s Talk About Sex” National Conference last year, the Alzheimer’s Disease International Conference last year and at the LGBTI National Conferences run by Val’s Cafe over the last two years. We also appeared in an article in The Guardian last year and interviewed for the 7.30 Report.

Our family have made it clear that they would enjoy a wedding celebration but it’s a race against time for us before dementia takes hold.