I am planning today to do something different here. I have some products that I absolutely must tell about. Please be patient and read on... I will get to it.
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First of all today, though, I must scrap half of what I intended to write about and pay tribute to a beautiful woman whom I was proud to call my friend. She was a friend to all who had any connection to FTD. Susan Suchan was just 60 years old. She, like many of us with the disease, was first misdiagnosed. She became a strong (I wish I could think of a better word, it was so much more than strong) advocate for the disease and for those dealing with FTD. She had aphasia as part of her disease which hindered her speech. It did not, however, hinder her from putting herself out there and talking about it to all who would listen.
There was no disliking Susan. When I first met her, nearly two years ago, I knew that she would make a positive difference in my life. She taught me that it is okay to laugh at the disease and at myself. She got up in front of the AFTD conference to talk about FTD and welcome everyone to the conference. Her aphasia certainly didn't keep her quiet. My daughter and I had a great time with Susan and her daughter at the party following the conference. At one point, I felt embarrassed after spilling coffee all over the buffet table. Feeling humiliated, I went back to our table and told everyone what I had done. What did Susan do? She laughed. Then she laughed some more. She said something like "Honey, who the [F-word] cares?"
She inspired me to think that maybe I could speak out about FTD as well. That is why I write this blog, wrote the booklet "Coping With FTD" and became a volunteer for the AFTD. I put myself out there at local events to talk to people and give out information. Sometimes, my words don't come out right but, thanks to Susan, I don't care. I just keep going until I get out what I wanted to say.
I only had the privilege of knowing Susan for two years, but she gave me a lifetime of inspiration. As sad as I am feeling today, I am also happy for her. I know that she is no longer in pain and is up in a very special place in heaven. I have no doubt that she has already earned her angel wings and is looking down on us and telling us to laugh, not cry. I love you, Susan, and am so happy that I got to know you. I hope you know how much of a difference you made in my life!
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Okay, back to the products. More than a year ago, I discovered a product called "Nok-Out." It is the best odor eliminator I have ever used. I have had success with it removing all kinds of odors from fabrics and other surfaces. It is not an "air freshener" as such. It doesn't work by spraying it into the air. It works by coming in contact with what stinks. My husband leaves a really funky odor on the sofa where he sits and on his bed clothes. I spray in well with Nok-Out and the odor is gone. Just this past Christmas, shortly before people were arriving, I realized I had forgotten to launder the throw pillows and they really stunk. I grabbed the Nok-Out and sprayed them liberally. No more funky smell. I use it on his bedding as well.
I have also used Nok-Out on my clothing in an emergency as a quick fix after an accident. It took the smell of urine right out. It felt a little weird until the Nok-Out dried, but that was better than everyone smelling me! Also, when some cats were visiting, one of them had an accident on the carpet. Yep, wet it down with the Nok-Out spray and no odor remained. It has worked on human accidents on carpeting and furniture as well.
You can buy Nok-Out directly from the company, on Amazon (of course) and major retailers like Wal-mart and Target. I bought a spray bottle of it and then a gallon directly from the company. You can mix it with up to 50% water and it still works well. I use the gallon water (I used about 25% water most often) to refill the spray bottle. Great stuff!
Now I have found another product, "Fresh Wave" laundry booster. You add a couple capfuls to your laundry and it takes out all kinds of smells. It is not cheap, so I would not use it in regular laundry. Instead, I keep the smelly clothes and sheets and wash them in their own load. To me, it is well worth the expense because I don't have to throw as many things out because of the odor.
Fresh Wave makes a lot of other products as well. So far, I have used the laundry booster, their odor removing air freshener (unlike Nok-Out, you can spray it in the air) and their "fresh pods". The pods are air freshening pods that you can stick up in diaper pails, laundry baskets, bathrooms, etc. I actually have my fresh pod in a ziploc sandwich bag and sealed. It lasts longer that way (more than the month it is supposed to) and is adequate for our needs. All the Fresh Wave products are organic. It is available in all the same places that Nok-Out is. From Fresh Wave directly, Amazon and major retailers.
I think this is the first time I have written about products in my blog. I have read and heard comments, mostly from caregivers, so many times about the odor issues, that I thought I should share. Please bear in mind, I am just a consumer and don't make any promises that it will work as well on every odor issue. I cannot not promise color fastness, though I have not had that problem with anything. I can only say that both products have solved many problems for me. I love them enough that I wanted to let you know they exist, but you have to rely on their warranty because I don't have one.
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