This week, which happened to be World FTD Awareness week, it was quite apropos that they (the Altoona Mirror, located in Altoona which is in central Pennsylvania) printed my letter.
I have inserted a copy of the letter because the link from the Altoona Mirror's website is not working correctly. Looks like you can read it pretty well this way anyway. I will mention here that I did not write the cutline (headline) someone at the Altoona Mirror did. It would have been nice if that person had read the letter. I was not saying that they differ. They are both types of dementia. I was trying to get across that there are more types of dementia, other that Alzheimer's, that need to be talked about, publicized and researched.
It is at times like this that I am so very thankful that I am still blessed with the ability to read and write. The reading ability is slipping some, but the writing is still with me. So VERY thankful!
I also posted the letter on my Facebook page, along with daily informational snippets each day of World FTD Awareness Week. I have received a lot of feedback on the letter and the snippets.
The day the letter appeared in the paper, I received a phone call from someone living in this area who located me after reading the letter in the paper. We spent about an hour on the phone. I suspect she may have FTD, rather than the depression she keeps getting diagnosed. I was able to steer her to www.theaftd.org, which is the website for the Association for FTD, sure that they would be able to give her some advice and steer her toward a medical practitioner who is familiar with FTD.
Anytime I write things like this, it is with the hope that it reaches and educates even just one person about FTD. SUCCESS!!!
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