Living with Alzheimer’s
An Anchorage couple’s shared path takes them to a new land By Aliza Sherman
“I
t’s like the game, Chutes and Ladders, but there are no ladders. You’re not climbing back up. It only goes down.” That’s how Michael Strahan describes what it is like when a loved one has Alzheimer’s disease. In 2016, Michael’s wife of more than 40 years, Linda, began exhibiting unusual symptoms. Michael recalls one night in their Anchorage home when he heard a noise
Linda and Michael Strahan in Costa Rica. Photos courtesy of Michael Strahan
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September 2020 — AlaskaPulse.com
in the living room. He found Linda carrying a thermos of hot water. When he asked what she was doing, she said she was waiting for the kids to arrive for the day care she managed in their home. “It’s 12:30,” Michael responded. “A.M. or P.M.?” Linda asked. She didn’t seem to know the answer. Michael led his wife to a clock and asked her what time it was. She didn’t know. That incident got his attention.
