(Clay, Syracuse, NY – Sept. 2011) “I Am Arnold” is a compelling and insightful book about Alzheimer’s disease and the Veteran’s Administration. In this remarkable read author Diane Bradshaw shares the story of her husband, Arnold Bradshaw who was a World War II veteran with a 70 percent service-connected disability.
Arnold worked for many years as an Insurance agent and had his own Insurance Company. He and his first wife Virginia had four children and a very happy life. Sadly, she died of a heart attack in 1992. He was a widower for four years and then married Diane, who coincidentally, was a widow for four years herself. She had lost her husband in 1992. Diane was a United Methodist Minister serving in Pennellville. They married in 1996. Arnold came to live in the parsonage with her at that time.
After several years Arnold was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and choices had to be made. This is a book about those choices. The interesting event in this story takes places at their home in Clay and also at the Transitional Care Unit at the Veteran’s Administration Building in Syracuse.
The main characters are the doctors, nurses, social workers, recreational workers, caregiver, physical and occupational therapists, friends and family who were, just like Arnold, the brave and courageous heroes of his battle against Alzheimer’s disease. Readers who are looking for answers in choosing the correct facility for their loved ones will be especially interested in this book. Any person, especially the elderly with age-related degenerative illnesses can relate to Arnold’s journey.
Diane Bradshaw was born in 1934. She is the third of six children. She grew up in Boston, Massachusetts and attended the public schools in her neighborhood. Her neighborhood was a working-poor place. They lived in what was then called “tenement” houses. She lived in a house that had six apartments in it, three on each side. There were always children to play with.
After high school she married her first husband. They had five children, two girls and then three boys. Her husband died in 1992. Four years later, she married Arnold in 1996. Both of them were widowers for four years. Arnold suffered Alzheimer’s disease for half of their marriage and this book is about that crucial time in their lives.
The book is published by AuthorHouse.
