Deadheaded: Two Parents, Two Donated Brains, One Alzheimer's Journey

by Valerie Bingham, Miles Bingham, Valerie Braunston

Over thirty years, Alzheimer’s slowly dismantled a father’s mind while his wife chronicled the disease with unsentimental clarity. Then, in a cruel twist, the disease struck again – this time the mother, whose own decline unfolded with shocking speed. Their son picks up the story, tracing her final months with the same honesty, dark humour and growing disbelief.

Deadheaded is a memoir told in two voices – mother and son – stitched together by love and the frustration of caring for those vanishing before your eyes. It is raw, humane and unexpectedly funny, capturing the heartbreak and absurdity of dementia care from multiple angles – mother and son, past and present, memory and what remains. It speaks to anyone who has tried to hold it together when even their best was not enough.

Their story was not just personal. Both parents donated their brains to medical research – a generous, quietly radical decision. Their final act gives the story a wider purpose: not just to be understood, but shared and extended.

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 27, 2026

Reviews

[Drew Hallewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving account of the impact of dementia on a family. Well written and unflinching in its portrayal of the challenges faced by carers.