NEWS

LETTER

Leanne

August, 2019

taken by her niece, Zina

October 2021

Gradually over the past five years,

Leanne's Alzheimers first curtailed, then eliminated our duo act. For a little while I was able to perform solo, seating her in the audience. She always liked seeing me work. But then she got too frail. By the time COVID put everybody out of work, Leanne was bedfast; I was taking care of her full time.

Then I had a melanoma removed from my back, which turned out to have spread, and the immunotherapy treatment --much better than chemo they say-- wipes me out and has given me diabetes.

I was very low for a couple-few months. But now I'm curiously cheerful.

I like the work of caring for my wife. I like doing what I'm good at, and in many important ways I'm good at this. In other ways I fall short, but there was an intervention, I got help, and now I often feel extremely lucky.

We live in a nice house in a beautiful place. It's spring, US politics are far less dire, we're all getting vaccinations and getting out of the house. I'm 2/3 of the way through my treatment, and so far (knock wood) so good. I'm given a better-than-even chance for full recovery, and for what it's worth I believe my chances are better than that.

Leanne and I are still very close, we tell each other "I love you" almost daily, and understand what it means. She seems to be happy about as much as she's sad, which is a step down from where she was, but much better than she might be. While it's sad to see her lose so much, she has not lost the core of who she is, not even a little bit, and that's who I see when I look at her.

Our dog Ivy helps a lot.