Transcription
Michael: The early signs in me in Alzheimer's was I felt I wasn't keeping up with the demands of my professional life and my personal life. It was a real struggle. I basically wasn't keeping up with life.
Diane: Michael's diagnosis, believe it or not, was almost a relief. We had been in the dark so long about what was really going on. And then as it kind of sinks in, you kind of go through a process. You get mad, you get sad, you kind of grieve.
Michael: My family means the world to me. I've been married to Diane for 36 years. We have three wonderful kids. I felt that I let my family down by having this diagnosis, but my family reinforced otherwise.
Diane: We've chosen to give Michael quality of life. That's more important to us than maybe quantity. And that's a tough thing to say at times. But we want the Michael that we've all known and loved for so many years. We want him to be who he is as long as he can be.
Michael: This is not the end of your life. You still have a lot of life to live, so stay engaged, get involved, and tell your story. It's important at the early diagnosis, you're able to tell your story. What's difficult for me is I know what's coming down the road. I have a pretty good idea. I don't dwell on it. I think about it somewhat. I don't like how this may end, but we're going to go down fighting.
