Dance with Me

by Susan Badaracco

I’d always believed that if I splayed my body in the dirt, I could protect my mother from her plummet from the sky. The forced ejection from an airplane. I’d also thought of the fall as a singular event requiring a dramatic sacrifice to insulate her. But each day she repeated her tumble to the ground. Sometimes she’d land as graceful as a ballerina, and she’d flash a mischievous grin before pirouetting away. Other times, she’d crash into the earth, breaking her bones and soiling herself in the process.

I didn’t move fast enough and I couldn’t predict her trajectory. With time, I discovered my role was not to buffer her descent. The most I could hope for was to pick her up, patch her up, and hope for a better tomorrow. It wasn’t me that eased her way as she deteriorated into her illness. It was Dionne Warwick, Tom Jones, Frank Sinatra, and Perry Como. She gravitated toward their lighthearted crooning tunes and, no longer encumbered by any inhibitions--my mom danced.

Filled with touches of unexpected humor, Dance with Me, is a huge-hearted account of a relationship between a daughter who loses her faith in medicine and a mother who dances in the face of the disease stealing her thoughts and memories.

Susan Badaracco watched her grandfather succumb to Alzheimer’s and when her mother was later diagnosed, she wanted to give her mother a “soft landing”. But dancing with Alzheimer’s is not a graceful affair. Crafted with short stories, she allows a peek into the locked memory care unit which she compares to “an unexpected trip to another country where they don’t always speak English”. With harrowing honesty, she presents the challenges and bittersweet emotions faced by the caregivers of the afflicted. An unforgettable memoir of endurance and transformation.

171 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 25, 2020

Reviews

[jane Frith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really hit home with me because my father had dementia and was in a nursing home for three years until his death. Even though some things are different with each person with dementia, so many are the same. It is a heartbreaking disease for the person and the family. My sister, who has been diagnosed with dementia, has lived with me for the last two years. I can truly admire my mother for everything she went through taking care of my father for so long. Thank you for writing your book with the true picture of the disease and caretakers.

[Michelle Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book as the author shares the struggles, successes, and emotions associated with watching a beloved parent disappear down the rabbit hole of Alzheimer's. I felt like the author and I were chatting over a cup of coffee. This easy-to-read book places you right in the middle of the family experience with Alzheimer's. Highly recommended as a means to learn but also empathize with others.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written and honest memoir that reads as a novel. Very moving, realistically described, Susan's mother's story takes the reader on a journey to dementia in its tragic and daily stages. Highly recommended to all who are affected by relatives or friends with dementia.
Thank you Susan for letting me read your poignant story for free on BookSirens.

[Kim Hammond-beyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well said

Excellent recounting of learning how stay present with Alzheimer's. We don't like to think we r going to have to deal with this devastating disease. But we are. Badaracco shares her experience with her mother. Would have like to hear a bit more about her life and coping skills, but she shares her journey of learning how to dance with Alzheimer's .

[Theresa]

This book is an excellent read. I couldn’t put the book down. As I work with Dementia residents this book gives you the real raw emotion of what day to day living feels like with a loved one who suffers from dementia or Alzheimer’s. This book talks about the different phases and how we learn to adapt to there journey.

[Olivia thieme · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you know someone who has Alzheimer's disease, please read this book. This book is a great read that details the highs and lows of a woman whos Alzheimer's disease progressively gets worse. Based on the author's mother, it is informative, yet it still got me laughing and even crying.

[Margarida Serra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dementia is the disease that worries me the most, that's why I read this book. I loved it. The author doesn't hide the worst moments she shared with her mother but balances that with a sweetness that surprised me.

[AMB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very easy heart felt read!!