Welcome To St. Louis

Thank you for your feature on Alan Hunter, original MTV VJ, now living in Webster Groves (WKT, Aug. 19). As a Gen Xer, I spent my share of time watching MTV in the 80s — everything from the hourly rocket launch video to the world premiere of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Great times.

Fast forward to March 2020. The pandemic was spreading across the country. People were staying at home and no one really knew what to expect next. I tuned into SiriusXM’s 80s-on-8 for some comfort music. Alan Hunter spoke soothing words, telling us not to worry and that we’d all get through this together. In such uncertain times, Alan and his 80s music were just what we needed.

Welcome, Alan, to St. Louis.

Jason Hunt Kirkwood

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by Annie SanFilippo

Susan Scholin Kunderman and Shelley Deitrichs, who grew up as members of the Webster Groves and Kirkwood communities, have collaborated on a new children’s book to help raise awareness for Alzheimer’s.

Their hope is that any child who picks up “Grandma, Why Are Your Eyebrows Blue?” will be comforted and better able to grasp why a loved one acts the way they do while struggling with the degenerative disease.

The book follows the story of a grandmother living with Alzheimer’s and her young grandson who is trying to understand the situation. It opens with the introduction of a boy named Billy whose grandmother, who suffers from the disease, has just moved in with his family.

Further into the story, Billy’s grandma begins to call him by names other than his own. With each different name she calls him, Billy wonders if she still remembers him. At the end of the book, Billy is reminded that his grandmother loves him regardless of knowing his name.

The book serves as a guide for children struggling with the reality of Alzheimer’s, showing them that even if grandma or grandpa can’t remember their name, they still love them just the same.

“At some point it just kind of clicked that kids don’t care if somebody knows their name,” said Kunderman, 69, formerly of Webster Groves, who is retired and now lives in Imperial. “They don’t care if they remember what happened yesterday or what they had for breakfast today — kids just play. They want to play with their grandparents in particular, but they also just want to be seen and heard.”

The story is personal to author

Kunderman, as it is based on the story of her mother and her own fight against Alzheimer’s. Kunderman decided to write the book after her mother began showing signs of Alzheimer’s and her children were confused.

“My kids were having such a hard time talking to their grandmother,” she said.

Kunderman’s mother, the inspiration for the titular character in the book, often forgot various things. Some were smaller and less important, such as forgetting where she left her keys or her glasses. Others were more heartbreaking, such as forgetting her own children’s names and the names of her family and friends.

“Every time I would go to the nursing home, she introduced me to everybody as her good friend,” Kunderman said.

“Then she’d say, ‘What’s your name? And even when I said the name, she didn’t know that was her daughter’s name.”

Children tend to have a difficult time comprehending what their loved one is going through, and may not understand the memory loss their grandparent is experiencing because of Alzheimer’s.

Kunderman said many adults are reluctant to discuss the disease with children, which only causes more confusion. She wanted to use her book to encourage communication between children and their parents on the topic.