Barbara Sharik

My Shrinking Brain: Dancing As Fast As I Can: a Book About Alzheimer's Disease Barbara Sharik

MY SHRINKING BRAIN: DANCING AS FAST AS I CAN presents an amazing journey, starting when the author is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. Accepting is one thing, dealing is another. It offers hope and proffers ways to cope. Presenting updated medical information, doors long closed are broadly opened with candor, compassion and comedic humor. "There's a saying; A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. In my opinion, no knowledge is dangerous. In learning, there is no danger. The more we learn, the more enlightened we become about a disease that's been shrouded in mystery for decades. Mystery, fear, wild conjectures and always with a bad ending," says author Barbara Sharik. "Learning won't change the inevitable ending but it will allow for a safer journey en route... I want to know everything there is to know. It's like lightning striking. Suddenly, out of the blue it matters, and what matters most is that this brain shrinkage is happening to me, right now. My brain is shrinking," she says, adding, "Isn't that the way it often is? Unless you are directly involved, unless it's happening to you personally, it's just background noise. Static on a radio station. Bzzzzzzzzzz. Now, I am dancing as fast as I can." Despite the severity of the disease discussed, this is an enlighteningly unique yet pleasant read. An important book, it will grace the lives of sufferers, their families and caregivers for years to come. The brutality of the disease will frighten you, even as it informs you. Reading a firsthand account, will change you. There is no way that it cannot.