November 4, 2024 • 61 mins
"It's all about challenging your brain." - Ron Gooden
Ron Gooden shares his personal journey with a form of Alzheimer's disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) to discuss the early signs he noticed, the challenges he faced in getting a proper diagnosis, and the coping strategies he has employed since his diagnosis.
A major source of strength that Ron stresses is the importance of family support and the proactive steps he has taken to manage his condition with his wife of over 50 years by their side.
Join Host, Mark Turnbull on this insightful conversation of the power and strength to live in the moment to aid in living a fulfilling and satisfying life.
Special Thanks to Sponsor: Royal Hospice Oregon
#aging #Alzheimers #MCI #AgingToday
LEQEMBI® (lecanemab-irmb, 100 mg/mL, injection for intravenous use), made by Eisai Inc. in partnership with Biogen, was approved by the FDA in July 2023 under the traditional approval pathway for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild AD dementia (collectively known as early AD). LEQEMBI is the first FDA approved anti-amyloid treatment for AD shown to slow disease progression and cognitive and functional decline in adults with early AD. Even though it is not possible to stop AD from getting worse, with LEQEMBI, one can take steps to slow how fast it progresses. The treatment was tested in a large 18-month clinical study in patients with MCI and mild dementia due to early AD. LEQEMBI can cause serious side effects including amyloid related abnormalities (ARIA), serious allergic reactions and infusion-related reactions. Some people may have small spots of bleeding in or on the surface of the brain, sometimes fatal events with larger areas of bleeding have occurred. Patients who may be eligible for treatment with LEQEMBI should ask their doctor about testing for a genetic risk factor that may cause an increased risk for ARIA. It is important they also tell their doctor about all the medicines they take, including medications to reduce blood clots from forming such as antithrombotic medicines like aspirin. Some medicines can increase the risk for larger areas of bleeding in the brain. Most common side effects included infusion related reactions, swelling in areas of the brain, and headaches. These are not all the possible side effects of LEQEMBI. Please see full Prescribing Information for LEQEMBI, including Boxed WARNING.
Ron Gooden shares his personal journey with a form of Alzheimer's disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) to discuss the early signs he noticed, the challenges he faced in getting a proper diagnosis, and the coping strategies he has employed since his diagnosis.
A major source of strength that Ron stresses is the importance of family support and the proactive steps he has taken to manage his condition with his wife of over 50 years by their side.
Join Host, Mark Turnbull on this insightful conversation of the power and strength to live in the moment to aid in living a fulfilling and satisfying life.
Special Thanks to Sponsor: Royal Hospice Oregon
#aging #Alzheimers #MCI #AgingToday
LEQEMBI® (lecanemab-irmb, 100 mg/mL, injection for intravenous use), made by Eisai Inc. in partnership with Biogen, was approved by the FDA in July 2023 under the traditional approval pathway for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild AD dementia (collectively known as early AD). LEQEMBI is the first FDA approved anti-amyloid treatment for AD shown to slow disease progression and cognitive and functional decline in adults with early AD. Even though it is not possible to stop AD from getting worse, with LEQEMBI, one can take steps to slow how fast it progresses. The treatment was tested in a large 18-month clinical study in patients with MCI and mild dementia due to early AD. LEQEMBI can cause serious side effects including amyloid related abnormalities (ARIA), serious allergic reactions and infusion-related reactions. Some people may have small spots of bleeding in or on the surface of the brain, sometimes fatal events with larger areas of bleeding have occurred. Patients who may be eligible for treatment with LEQEMBI should ask their doctor about testing for a genetic risk factor that may cause an increased risk for ARIA. It is important they also tell their doctor about all the medicines they take, including medications to reduce blood clots from forming such as antithrombotic medicines like aspirin. Some medicines can increase the risk for larger areas of bleeding in the brain. Most common side effects included infusion related reactions, swelling in areas of the brain, and headaches. These are not all the possible side effects of LEQEMBI. Please see full Prescribing Information for LEQEMBI, including Boxed WARNING.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I started noticing that just forgetfulness, well, we not talking about just leaving the keys
(00:05):
somewhere else, so I did, I need my cell phones somewhere else.
There are a lot of major things. My language was a big thing. The word that should have gone
right there in a sentence and in a delivery, but you know, and as a teacher, the cows
professor, you know, that's a bit unsettling to say at least.
(00:32):
And now the podcast we're together, we discuss proactive aging on your terms, connecting to the
professional advice of our special guests, while creating better days throughout the aging process.
Now here's your host, Mark Turnbull. Hello everyone and I want to welcome everybody back to
(00:52):
another lively discussion on aging today. We are the podcast where we explore the many options to
aging on your terms. You can find aging today and all of our past eight years of programs
on our website. All you got to do is go to agingtoday.us and then for those of you that want to follow us
(01:12):
on your favorite Spotify or podcast channels such as Spotify, Pandora, Apple, I Heart, there's so
many out there, YouTube that you can always check in with us as well. And then we want to hear from you
our listeners out there and all you got to do is reach out to me, your host, Mark Turnbull,
and my email is mark@agingtoday.us. It's mark with a K at agingtoday.us. So as you know, this is a
(01:41):
in podcast about aging and it's we always say that if you're not too busy being born, you're too
busy aging and it doesn't matter what age and we all have issues through the aging process so we try
to touch on all of those things. But one of the aging dilemmas that we all face in this world is
(02:01):
many of us are facing a huge population is dementia and we're going to be talking about a specific
type of dementia today. It's Alzheimer's and here to tell us about his journey living with Alzheimer's
is Ron Gooden. Ron, welcome to agingtoday. Thank you, Mark. Let it be here.
(02:25):
Yeah, I'm very, very excited to have you on our podcast today and I'm anxious to hear your story.
But what we always do, Ron, is that we always ask the question, what is in your story? What led you
just kind of give us a brief synopsis of your life story and what brought you to this place where
(02:50):
you are today? Wow, kind of literally Christ. Let me talk about me who I am. I'm an eight-year-old man.
Marry for three years. And you're looking good there, my man. But actually, I'm 57 years married to
my best friend and three middle-aged children, two grandchildren. I've been working 60 years
(03:19):
pretty much full-time. That includes my time in the Navy about 20 years teaching at Community College
in Philadelphia about 20 years as a sales manager with New York Life Insurance Company.
And you spread out 15 or 20 other years being a counselor, therapist, life coach. Also,
(03:45):
by the way, I'm grateful, very grateful, hand to survivor. I think in about as much of a nutshell,
Mark, as I can make that these 60 years are probably, that's about it.
It sounds like you've lived a full life and it's been a lot of challenges. Just like anybody's story,
(04:08):
there's all kinds of villains that freely roam in and out of our story lines. And oh my goodness,
battling the cancer. What type of cancer did you have? It was prostate cancer, Mark.
prostate cancer. And is it clear now? Eight years. Clear of it.
Nice. Very well done. Oh great. Yeah. Yeah. And now you're facing another villain in your life.
(04:37):
It's called MCI for those of you don't know what MCI is. It's mild cognitive impairment.
And so I'd like you to let's we're going to unpack that today and we're going to spend some time
talking about your specific journey dealing with Alzheimer's is what you've been diagnosed with.
(05:00):
Is that correct? That's correct. Absolutely correct. Yeah. So in your story,
when was it that you started to begin to see some of the symptoms that were saying, hey,
there's something going on here? About four years ago, Mark, I just I start noticing that
(05:26):
just forgetfulness. Well, we not talking about just leaving the keys somewhere else. So I need my cell
phone with somewhere else. We know about major things. You can introduce me to somebody in five minutes,
not hours a day, five minutes from name. I make the name is slip my mind. My language was a big
(05:50):
thing. The word that should have gone right there in a sentence and in a delivery, you know,
fortunately at my age, I could manage a five turn dance around and find other words that you
can fit in there. But you know, and as a teacher, the college professor, you know, that's a bit unsettling
(06:10):
to say at least, I can remember a time when, which I think this is the first big hit I'm teaching a class
lecture, it right in the middle of the mess, I don't got where I was. What the heck? So I can't even imagine
the cold silence that came over everything. These are grown-ups, pants already, or computer-graded
(06:38):
for me to say something wise and bang. And it was like a fall. I tried to kind of bring it back
further away, it seemed to have gotten from me. Fortunately, the class, you know, I looked at
all of them like I'm all, forgive me, class, I'm an old guy and they snickered and I'm sure they didn't.
(07:03):
But for me, it was kind of devastating right at that moment. That's kind of what I knew,
this is, I've been teaching 20 years, I've got 95,000 classes into them, this. Whoa,
and I could bring it back quicker. You know, it's like memory laughs. I could always bring it back
(07:27):
easily. This one somehow grins. So that's what I knew. I have a problem. And
wrote me a verdict of all of the sounders and friends who suffered sadly and the people who were
cared for, and for them, also friends, telling me how awful that was. So yeah, I had known about it,
(07:51):
never thought it would eat me, honestly, and down. Yeah, just to think of it.
When you started noticing some of the changes in your speech patterns and you were starting to
notice some of the forgetfulness and the loss of words, who did you go to first? You know,
(08:13):
you've been married for 57 years and congratulations. I mean, that's remarkable in this day and age.
And I'm assuming your wife, you know, if I can be presumptuous is probably your best friend,
did you go to her first and what was her response? Well, first thought, oh, that's selective memory loss.
(08:38):
Wives, that's a thing because you see, you see, you remember when the game is coming on, you see
the remembers, you know, he went there like, but that was early on. He had to stay note herself. Yeah,
maybe I'll see somebody, you know, all right, so I get it. So we both noticed it. I noticed it because
(08:59):
it impact it had to be directly one eyeball, the eyeball with people and especially students.
But she started, she had to admit, this is more of their selective memory. So why don't you see
somebody going back? We did. I say we because after 57 years, me, it's like everything's weak.
(09:20):
And when you're a doctor, a doctor whom we love that been a doctor for years, he concluded,
but don't worry about it. And you're ready to get an old.
And I can say, I love and respect my doctor. I come to the conclusion
(09:42):
and I'm spoken to him about it. Later on, he just sees me as a vigorous kind of guy.
And my plate doesn't seem as obvious maybe as somebody who's, you know, really,
a little, little, little almost really, they're really lost in that fog that I talked to you about.
(10:08):
And so it didn't seem that way to him. And he's up at all. I said, Doc,
and basically says something like if it continues like this, but you're going to find that it's
part of aging. I'm not doing it.
I think it's really important to recognize that that kind of forgetfulness is not a part of normal
(10:36):
aging process because there's so many people out there that live into their 80s and 90s
and even early hundreds that don't have some, you know, there's going to be a little bit of that
loss. But when you're talking about the brain fog and all of those things, it's interesting that
your doctor, you know, kind of, you know, downplayed it a little bit. How did that make you feel?
(11:00):
It made me, you know, less than it made me want to, the kind of flick happens.
If he'd been some other doctor, we didn't know how it'd have thought that doctor is being
really not for fasting, number one, to soften that blow. And maybe not knowledgeable. That would have
(11:21):
kind of had me proceed on saying that, you know, maybe you know, we did a new doctor, but our doctor,
we love our doctor. He's been that one for years. I learned a different number. He'd see him.
He knows me so well. He does so well. And all he's seen of me was bigger. All he's seen is me
with somebody, "Ah, go with enthusiasm." And he kind of looked at it like that. He's
(11:47):
anyway. All of those things. He was trying to put a positive spirit on it. Don't worry about it.
Don't get stressed over it. Yeah. And there's some, there's some truth to that. You know, I think that's
important. You know, I wouldn't want to diss on your doctor right now. But, you know, they think
that there's some of that that is true, that, you know, you do want to maintain a positive,
(12:09):
positive attitude. And did he, did he immediately then, so we didn't immediately do anything,
then the next step was you left the doctor's office. And then when did you go back and say, "Duck,
it's getting progressively worse?" I need a second opinion here.
(12:29):
Sorry, cutting out a lot. I didn't even go back at that point on the front side of this thing.
I'm saying, let me, you know, I'm the kind of guy who I'm always asking as a, there was a cancer,
once you diagnose, all right, what's next? What is next? I'm just, I feel like that. Yeah.
So I started looking internet, all kinds of play, asking people, well, I ended landing on a study
(12:57):
that was happening. Study of memory, sounded all good between whatever, 165 and 80, anybody
can find themselves suffering from memory loss. Call it. I called them, turns out the study was way,
like, two hours away, but it was important enough for me. Call them, let me go check it out,
(13:21):
my wife and then I jumped into the car, they had, so at this point I had been diagnosed, right?
Must have been two days worth of things that they go through to make a proper diagnosis.
And after they told me, you know, of course they talked about
(13:43):
plaque, all that, what's gonna happen, so on the brand stuff. But let us see where you're at.
And that's when just a whole pattern, testings, be it the card testings, verbal writing testings,
and they had me get a PET scan and, um, MRI, it makes sure it wasn't like an organic thing,
(14:11):
bi and bi after a while, two weeks of that, that was, I was, an extra bit of official diagnosis
of all of some, but fantastic to do that. Um, so okay, and here's what we do. He would, Dr.
went on to say, first of all, kudos to you Ron, for not just buying this, I'd say everyone,
(14:35):
or by the way, uh, Mark, it helps. Yeah, one of my dearest friends who we have a kind of, we live in a car,
well, my dearest friend who was a judge, who kind of judge now is stark as a cat. So again, I'd be,
he's a guy that's bringing the flat is so dark, was he can tell the joke, a complicate, and bring it
(14:58):
whole just among the things that this game above, but I watch him, he's one of my poker guys, every Monday,
night, we have a poker damn. And two or three of these guys, they're all at my age. The judge is 83,
you know, and so, whoa, I know that this is an automatic. I knew that and my doctor, Mr. Ray study,
(15:21):
confirmed all that. He didn't talk about, yeah, you know, there is some leakage, right,
some for many people in the middle, but no need for you to just kind of fall back, rattling, and then they
start the conversation around, um, ours is going to medicate you on what habits, one of support,
(15:44):
uh, one of all kinds of little things you can do in the meantime, along with, I mean, sort of program,
along with the medication, we, we say you would be happy with that basically, we say you'll see
improvement, certainly we don't expect to see a falling, but decline in where you are now. That
(16:10):
was the expectation. That was three and a half years ago, hard. And I've been going every two weeks,
my wife and I, my wife had to be involved in counting the real thing. We go take that to a ride up. I,
I can go on and on. I don't know where the questions will go now. I have a feeling that you
(16:35):
want to go deeper into that process. The fact is, it can say at this point that, man, I feel
go good. I feel so fortunate. I feel confident that I can do stuff that there for a time. I say,
you know what? My professional life is kind of over because I had this thing and that's kind of,
(17:02):
I looked at it, it's now been determined that I do in fact have this thing that won't allow me to
do the kinds of stuff that I like to. At one point, by the way, I thought about retiring and going into
doing speaking about motorbades, motorbades must be at one point. That's, that's the thing,
(17:25):
that is totally, yeah. And so, and it's okay. That's going now. There's some things I can do,
absolutely well in some things that probably not a good idea for me to do. I've come to that
real easy. And that's okay. Now, so, so let me just be clear. So you started going to this clinic
(17:46):
that had a specific program that helped you with your MCI, your mild cognitive impairment.
Can you share with us a little bit about, and then you've since then, this was three and a half
years ago, correct? That you started going. So since then, you've seen a remarkable improvement
(18:07):
or a stabilization, what's the best way to say that of your MCI? Certainly stable,
pralining, right? It's more stable. It's not getting, it's not growing more confusion, more
brain fog. It's kind of stabilized. You still struggle with this thing. I'm still struggling
(18:28):
with some of those things. There's no doubt. Yeah. But yes.
So, so what when when you went to the clinic and they said, hey, we've got some assistance
that can help you to live your best life possible, do they do describe what that, what the
specifics are that they did? Did they do like activities? Did they do brain games? Did they do,
(18:56):
were you doing pushups all day long? What did they have you do to help stabilize?
If not physical pushups, we're calling brain pushups. Okay. Your challenge is all about making my brain
(19:16):
work a little harder, making my brain think out of the box. Things like, when you hold,
run, walk around in the dark, don't run, walk around in the dark. Man, it seemed like a small thing,
but it forces your brain to not be so tied into convenience. If you're right handed,
use your left hand as often as you can. Besides the brain games, you know, I'm getting that
(19:43):
for every way now. My daughters are doctor living in Vegas and she's sent me all kinds of brain
games, but they all get all works because it's all about challenging your brain. I come into
a cleanly in the lot because I was there for a minute and still sometime, the easiest thing
(20:04):
for us all that got us to do, this is kind of close back, that if we don't get it right away,
instantly is gone. So we hardly ever challenge our brain. And I know that we're slowly, we're
all the ever challenging because it's easy. The other part of your brain is saying, "Why do you
(20:25):
need this now? You're creating an over." I'm so glad I don't, as much, I don't often get more
listened to that lazy part of my brain. It's very comfortable, but it listens to my opportunities.
(20:45):
And I'm still even at 80. I find myself still kind of in an opportunity mode.
Realistically. So it's just that, I still think I can do some stuff. I won't be able to do
motivational speaking. I still have clients. He's still in me.
Well, Ron, I'm going to challenge you on that thought that you are doing motivational speaking
(21:12):
right now. So you're speaking to an audience out there and there's others that are living
right alongside of you. And your inspiration is motivational. Thank you. So you are doing it.
So I guess I may, but yeah, I agree and appreciate and value being able to say something that
(21:36):
makes somebody else better maybe than they were. It's somebody comfortable than they were.
And I can see that in your countenance that that's who you are, Ron. You've lived
80 years on this planet. And you've, I can sense that in you that you're an outward, you view the
(22:00):
world outwardly. You don't view the world inwardly that it's all about, Ron. This is, this is about
you being a part of a greater story out there because we all have our stories. And you're just
living yours out. And this villain came along called MCI and is interrupted your story. But that's
(22:22):
nothing new because you had another villain called cancer, prostate, Mr. prostate. And you know,
you took it head on and you don't seem to be the kind of guy that is blaming everybody else for
all the different adventures that you've been on. You've embraced them. You've taken them and
looked at them square in the face and said, uh-uh, not on my terms, no way. So I really appreciate
(22:50):
you about you. Yeah, you're, you pretty much describe my desire to be better than to make the
world a little bit better because, you know, be that person that you, what the world, be that change
you want to see in the world. And I was raised with my dad is my biggest hero ever. And my mother was
(23:13):
like a saint in the state. And so I'm got nothing to worry about. I got no reason not to be accountable.
I got really, you know, people are right. How can I not be a reasonably decent human being?
That's all I saw around me. And as I said, my dad is my superman. And he was that kind of a guy. And
(23:39):
certainly so with my mom. And I think that is so important that we have our role models. And our heroes
are, you know, not the sports heroes out there in our lives. They're, they're amazing people, yes.
But the real heroes in our life are, our mothers, our fathers, the family, siblings, and those people
(24:03):
that are really mean something to us that are not fickle. And, and I'm so glad that I get to hear
that part of your story, Ron, because as you know, our culture is missing that today. And the reason
why you want to have a strong family. And I want the young people to hear this. I'm 67, Ron. I'm
(24:26):
right on your tail. And you're at the front of the baby boomers. I'm at the tail end of the baby
boomers. And if there was anything that I could tell to the younger generation, I know you would say
the same thing is an embrace family, embrace honor your mother and your father, whatever that means
to you, find a way because as you age, the only people that you're going to stick around you and
(24:52):
close by to you is it's called blood, the bloodline. Amen. Amen. Yeah.
Keep the main things, the main things. And that is, are those people already done and then so much
in your life, even when it pain them, you know, I just, you know, I get it. I thank God all the time that I
(25:18):
seemed to understand the main things and make things you talked about making sure those things. And
the understanding that you get what you give out here and that, it's so happening, it's just giving
things. I have, I am so inspired by being able to help. And anyway, like I say, my phone rings
(25:44):
a couple times a day, sometimes we, we, we're doing these friends or others who really see the respect
my little counsel and all rings are when it's just kind of kicking it around. My optimism, yeah,
is what seems to lift. Otherwise, I would stop the hookahack I think I am
(26:07):
counseling people talking about people who's in try to lift them up. But people keep calling
it makes me a humbly and okay, something about my style seems to work. And I think it can be my
intellectual after care, my good loves you can't it must be my optimism and gratitude.
(26:33):
Did you know that Alzheimer's disease cases are projected to rise from 6 million to 13 million
Americans by 2050? Because Alzheimer's disease often remains under diagnosed, many Americans may not
know they have it. This did you know moment was provided by today's guest and is brought to you by
Royal Hospice of Oregon. Yeah. And and I think that, you know, one of the things that as we all face the
(27:02):
various villains in our life at some portion down the road, whatever that journey leads for you as an
individual, there are certain heroes that come into our lives that shore us up. And we need that. You
cannot do this alone. And I want to hear a little bit about your best friend, your lover, your wife
(27:23):
of 57 years and the impact that she made on your life to encourage you to go forward and I'm being
presumptuous. Maybe she didn't. But I don't think that's the case in this situation. Tell us about her.
She won't let me bail. Finish it. Yeah. Well, this is a chance to brag about her. Not will. I just
(27:46):
am I easiest behind every I always say behind every good man is a great woman again. Let us say I
watch in my father and my grandfather and dad, my son. I've seen that how that works. A communication
respect.
Determination working together. You know, just take what they say like this, or can we say take the
(28:13):
L the Lawrence take the L from time to time as you know, I mean, just not. But my wife has from the day,
maybe a few days after she you know, you see it in stories. I was in it very quickly. I was in
the Navy when I met her. She was about 1819. Guess I was robbing the cradle. And I was on hold on to
(28:38):
you met her and about I was 20, 20, one, one, one, one, one, two, you know, get at the service in 22.
She was asking on a date, we all on picnic. She had a date. I had a date and others had a date.
And I just loved the way she wrote. But my friend was her date. But at that time, I just liked her style.
(29:04):
I was, I could see she was smart, but not a smart answer if you know what I mean. She was smart. Yeah.
And just played in when smart needed to happen. Just responded when a response needed to happen.
She just fit. No.
And see that. Well, was I taking by her? It doesn't matter. I went back on to the Navy,
(29:31):
forget wherever station in California, so in Long Beach, with back.
I finished up my term. I had her online line more every single day as I was okay.
I'd give back. First thing I do is contact my friend, which he had moved on. But I found a guy
(29:52):
and tell me, how are you and you and Sandy? I'm fully again, like, oh, you've been married all by now.
Somebody smart, a scoop to run. He said, oh, no, Sandy, I would just feel she in the brain.
But we just friend, you came to the picnic. Do you know what she's at now?
(30:13):
Did my investigation order out the rest of the history? She makes me feel
a lie. It makes me feel better. She always has.
Made me feel like a better man than I probably am.
(30:36):
Don't do kind of thing. And the failures I've had, you know, those demons out there
that I may want to come in and why and I don't get it. You've got no problem. It's not you.
Don't live down to that. Please, look up to the radio show. He's been pushing me,
(30:58):
everything including this, including the cancer thing, every down that I've ever taken, he was there
to lift me up. And, you know, we got to a point where she doesn't have a way out about it.
She just reminds me a way about this man that she loves and this best friend of hers.
(31:20):
And she got no problem telling me the reason you love this guy. And so she can't really accept
this guy doing this other way. So yeah, she's in the back, in the back.
And so it's been a journey of 57 years for better, for worse. And you went through the cancer,
now you're going through the MCI, the mild cognitive impairment. And she's still standing beside you.
(31:46):
And that's got to be a huge encouragement to you or anybody that is living through any kind of
long-term chronic illness or disease is knowing that the people that mean so much to you are
walking right alongside of you. I can't. I think so much of whatever success I've had in anything
(32:11):
is to kind of show off for her, kind of be the person that he's seen as always think
that I could be and was. So dropping the ball was kind of that. I cannot show my wife. And not
(32:31):
to see how to put it to me like that if you don't do it. Never that is my own personal
place I had to live up to because she, I don't know, foolishly or not, she's always out of me
on rare, on some kind of high places for good men to go. And so that was the goal. And even that kind of
(32:56):
encouragement meant that you didn't have to tell me all the times. It wasn't we knew. I could look at
her and see either she to look at her and see pride. And going up is more than I could.
Let's shift gears here a little bit and go back to the clinic. And so your wife is beside you.
(33:20):
She's supporting you through this whole process. And you get to the clinic and the clinic saying,
okay, let's see what we can do to stabilize or improve upon your memory, your memory loss.
And see if we can get rid of the brain fog. So they put you on a regiment of activities,
(33:41):
brain activities, all kinds of red men. I get IV of a, of a girl called lecandie the first.
So it was a combination of activities and then they also introduced a pharmaceutical
medication that would also assist in that. So what's the name of the medication?
(34:02):
Lecandie L-A-Q-E-M-B-I Lecandie. That's the medication. I take IV every two weeks and I go,
but the first six months to now is this on a trial that you're doing it? Are you doing it through a study?
Yes. Or was this something that's already been done and they just prescribed it to you?
(34:26):
This is a study, but this medication has been approved. The FDA goes only two medications I understand
that have been thoroughly approved by all the National E-Pool on the same likely FDA and the American
M-A-M-A. So it's been approved for this. I'm sure there are a lot of companies trying to introduce
(34:52):
their thing. I have no doubt that five years from now there'll be several more proofs right now
in the campaign. There's a crew as an adjunct to metal plants, mental games, mental stressors,
things that get society. Mental brain exercises. You have a certain aim that making your brain
(35:19):
get off the couch. Yeah, all the plaques and the tangles that are
destroying the brain cells is what's going on. That's a...
And so a combination of the therapies of brain activities, the combination of some medication,
(35:40):
and you've seen over the last three and a half years a remarkable progression
in the positive direction. I have. And I hesitate because I know first I'd have to say this has been
my dream, you know, I don't know that it's probably to say the conveyer, all the same thing for you.
(36:03):
Yeah, you should go do that. You should go do that. But my dream has shown a remarkable
improvement from just three and a half years ago when I thought, "Ah, it's over, I'm at it. I'm
going to retire." Thank God I could afford to retire. Certainly not a hefty financially,
(36:25):
but I get afford to retire. And then it made it even easier to say, you know what?
My brain's gone like this already. You had at that time, 76 or 77. But that didn't last.
This month, with my life loving me on, you're not, and things, you're not, no, you're not as happy
(36:48):
when you're not vigorous when you're not. And I mean, not just physically vigorous,
mentally vigorous when you can't be of help. Yeah. Where there are any other therapies that they
interjected into your life, in other words, whether some lifestyle changes that you were having to
(37:08):
take a look at, in particular, I was thinking of diet. So did they change your diet?
Because there's a lot of research out there in regards to diet. Well, certainly they suggested
the sugars, the salts kind of play down on them just because they're not processed food,
just because they're just generally not healthy. And when you're generally not healthy in one way,
(37:34):
it sort of spans over to other ways. So then exercise regularly exercise, make sure
add up. Have you done that all of your life in a regular exercise or stayed in a relative shape?
But they didn't have to meet you up with that one. If you were to describe your eating habits,
(37:58):
you know, in the first 60, 70 years of your life, how would you describe them? I have a sweet tooth.
You and me both. Right there, I'm sure I've eaten too much sugar. I had the
beat down on my fingers because I get everything you read talks about this thing that we have marked.
(38:22):
We got in that, that's younger, don't even with this, we too figure out some other things you can do.
And listen to it more minimally. And I think if it's in your mind, you will kind of back off a little bit.
Really, really. I didn't, I now have connected that to a decreasing memory.
(38:43):
So you're like, whoa, so maybe I would do, we get ice cream with man. Maybe once the big sprups
instead of two is those things that are happening all the time. Maybe one glass of lemonade instead of two is that.
It's kind of the way I'm dealing with it. You know, so still there's the sweet tooth.
(39:09):
And still there's these memory glasses.
Yeah. And you mentioned processed foods where you a big processed food consumer that you could
do fast food, restaurants, it's a great. So we really,
ways that we've been empty nestled, we really, we had a period and we were going out to eat
(39:32):
at rest of our all the time because empty nesters get to do that.
But we that period is gone. We mostly, I mean 85% of the time, 90, I mean wheels,
by wise meal. So, yeah, I don't think I've
(39:52):
well, and you and you were a part of that generation where more whole foods and were consumed.
There wasn't a lot of discretionary money to go around to go out to restaurants.
Yeah. And, you know, and that's way I was raised as well. I tell that to my children and they go
(40:13):
really. You only went to one, one fast food. We used to have in Hillsboro, Oregon. It was
A and W root beer, you know, that was our big thing. And then when we'd go visit my mom,
or my dad's mom and dad, my grandparents in Salem, we'd stop off at Bob's 19 cent hamburgers.
(40:35):
And that was, that was the extent of going out for us. It wasn't, wasn't a lot on a schoolteacher salary.
There wasn't a lot of extra income. That is time, maybe, to generate some, because that
we mostly, yeah, yeah. And so for that, for us, for you and me, that was good, you know, that paid off
(40:57):
in the long run because I remember mom and her mom, they did a lot of canning and of their own
fruits and vegetables and, you know, so things were a lot more wholesome back in those days. And then
we got away from that, obviously in the 70s and the 80s, but we're, and we're, I think we're seeing
(41:18):
the effects of that long term. Yeah, dad and dad, just, I'm going all the way around, but the things I see
around me, that, you know, and go, BC is just one of the things I see in the world as I've
done to harass students, as I say, but, you know, hard problems. Yeah, many, many, many, many physical,
(41:45):
which move on to mental and emotional and spiritual problems. They just bring them right down
the path. And it's a clear path. We don't, we don't even need much read me. We don't even
need all of them. We just have it. But I enjoy a big mat some time to time.
(42:05):
Yes, you do. Well, I think we all do. And, you know, I think there's, it's moderation, you know,
I think that just like anything else in life is the moderation. But so, so you have this, you
go into the clinic and they've got you on some, some brain exercises, your brain push ups as you
(42:27):
call it, love that term. And then they've also got you on this medication. And then there's some
lifestyle changes that you've thrown into the mix as well. And a combination of all those things
has helped reduce your MCI or stabilize it. Do you, where, where are you at in the journey right now?
(42:49):
Great question. Because friends ask me my age. What? How's that memory thing? I need to get
nothing like that because we all forget stuff for my age. And I don't think theirs has been as
I don't think the dive was as heavy as mine or they would have made, these are those people,
(43:09):
these are for example, people that are friends are like, they would have made steps. I think,
so I tell them when you say, are you better? They won't take it that simple. Well, I still forget stuff.
But I am so confident about pretty much everything going full. So that's where it's left me. This
(43:32):
combination of the medication, the treatment, the brain game, the lifestyle, the support I get from
my team there at the brain thing, because they continue to say things like, "Rod, look at you."
What? I don't even see any days that I don't even see this relax and these are people in,
(43:56):
I'm sure they're saying a lot of this to me, making me feel good, but it does. It works.
You know, I don't see any deficiencies in you. All of that has yielded
mark a confidence that I can do pretty much what I did five, four, five, years ago. I haven't even
(44:22):
separated from what I can't do other than motivational features. You know, I just realistically
think for any audience that particular issue like bringing an idea home is important. You know,
and I really want to waste anybody's time, I can do that kind of stuff individual like you were saying.
(44:45):
But the plan I had about more than me, I met at a thousand people. I was thought to certainly a hundred.
So that was going to be my retirement. And I was so from my thought, it was from 75 to
75, where I must tell God is me that was going to be the thing I did because I've done something like that,
(45:10):
but so long. You know, but yeah, I'm confidence is what a year because I don't see
the problems not lingering. And by the way, they also give me little notes, little things to do
about listening better. Don't take notes. You ought to see my dance at the office. It's riddled with
(45:37):
my little notes. Copies notes. That's like all of a sort of camp down. So I have my note. So I don't
mind saying also, which you say, I don't get what was my name again. Don't be in a place where even though
you have this limitation that you're now afraid of it too. I'll be exactly turns out people don't mind at all.
(46:04):
You're within my life now. I have the same. So now I do that from the start. You know, I listen better
to things I should remember. I like my notes. I don't mind going there. I don't mind a
popular. What was your name again? Please brain blame my head, not my heart. You know,
(46:29):
you look, come on, the phrases I've got is around that. So with that, and this definite feeling of
not going backwards, whether I'm level up for now, I definitely not feel like I'm going backwards.
I feel maybe like I'm better.
(46:51):
Yeah. That's got to feel really good. Which kind of leads me to my next question for you as a man
and spending your time with your best friend, your wife. Do you have a bucket list?
While your mind is one thing about chronic illnesses and diseases is they're interruptors.
(47:19):
They can interrupt our lives to where they take away our dreams, our aspirations, the things that
we want to continue to do in life. And you're that kind of a person that says, uh, uh, not on my watch,
not on my terms. Do you have a bucket list of things that you and your wife would like to be doing
(47:41):
for the next 10, I do not. I do not.
I have a specific bucket list. I seem to be living that life that I hope you're living in the bucket
right now. As I say, maddening my friends and my daughters living family in Vegas and her little love
that my son is about to be making get mad at a second time. Is that December the 7th of this
(48:07):
year, he's going to get back to his own widow. First wife, he lost his first wife,
grandkids, everybody in the wonderful, everybody's well, everybody's, uh, I am living. I'm like over the
moon right here. I really have my fantastic. Is there anything that you would want to pass on to those
(48:32):
that are just beginning to understand that they're living with some mild cognitive impairment or
some early onset, dementia's of various kinds? Is there anything that of wisdom that you can bring
up to them? Obviously don't let that thought stop. Don't yet help reach out. There's helped more
(49:00):
and more and more seniors because so many of us now, you talked about it, that baby boom,
that's so mad. So now I expect five years from now as I said earlier that he'll be central.
Things like the Kember and there'll be several programs. But you gotta reach out. I mean,
not going to jump into your lap and not going to knock on your door. So I would say don't settle
(49:27):
for settling. Don't don't live in a hole of free to express your condition,
afraid to express that you need help and say no, just like somebody, all of a sudden their knees
not working. Whatever they love to get, I need replacement for shoulder replacement. This may,
(49:51):
may seem like a drastic different, but maybe not. There is a next step in which day in 2024,
there is a next step. And I'm on by to you absolutely with a test to get help. Don't be.
Yeah. And I think it's harder for us men. Men have a harder time of letting go of our belief systems.
(50:14):
We were the ones that built and pulled ourselves up by our own bootstraps. That's how our
our dads taught us to live our lives. And the downside to that is that sometimes our belief systems
get in the way and we become stubborn and we go, I don't need to go see a doctor. I can work this
out. I've worked it out all my life and it'll all turn out. And that's not the case. You, we,
(50:39):
at some point, you've got to be humble enough to be able to say, hey, I need some help. And you did
that. And so now you're a living, you're a living legend by being humble enough to say, hey, I need
a little assistance. That right. I'm, I'm, what kind of. And I'm sure your wife kicked you in
(51:01):
there. No, not as well. Right. You would not, like, they allowed, they allowed us to,
that she already thought, yeah, I've already seen you do that at some point. I've already seen
you master that at some point. So don't bail out, you know, do that always grateful for that
head that little nudge. And it so far has always turned out that that fall is just an experience.
(51:29):
Just an experience. It makes me stronger along those lines. Come on, it's all.
Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, in conclusion, you know, we're, we're going to wind up our interview
here. And I, I, I remarkable story. And I want to say, thank you so much for taking the time to come
on and share it with the rest of the world because there are so many people that are in the same
(51:52):
position that you are. And they may not have the support system that you've had. I mean, you've
been blessed with a beautiful wife and children and a lot of great friends. And for those that,
that have found themselves in the same situation, is there any lasting advice other than saying,
(52:13):
go get the help? But is there anything else that you'd like to share with them?
Remind them that we, you know, they've lived long, probably if they're in the state,
they're probably not 25 years old, right? Love. You've already noted how in your lifetime,
when one door shut, another one's open, consider that like this. The door that we shut was, it was,
(52:38):
one that was convenient, one that was, it was uncomplicated. You didn't have to remember stuff if
you didn't have to remember because of the job, because of that, it was stuck there, you know?
You should have reached, you're reaching. And you know, I'd have reached like crazy, maybe a little
(53:02):
reach for you for that person, then maybe not used to being in reach mode. It's so happened,
I was kind of into reach mode, right? Getting that. But if you're not, a guarantee is, got to be better
with this kind of help, then now you've got to make better with this kind of, you know, if you fall
(53:26):
back into any kind of habit, you wouldn't even get thought that would be better with this kind of
support. Yeah. Yeah. You've got such an interesting story and you're an interesting personality,
you know, you're, I loved having this conversation with you. Is there, is there anything in the future?
(53:49):
Are you going to write a book and tell your story is, you know, made for movie? What, what do you think?
Wow. At this point, I'll admit, I'm taking it kind of day to time. There are things that come up
like this, Mark, which I'm humble by, that somebody wants to use my other story to help somebody
(54:14):
else, that part of it makes me all in. Yeah. So if ever, whenever my story of somebody else, I know
blessing and help become my way as they always that. So I'm really, really into being in that support
mode. I seem to have always been in this one to me for such a loop. And I know is,
(54:43):
well, whatever you're doing, whatever you're doing on the activities, the brain pushups,
keep doing them because you're very articulate. At 80 years of age, your mind seems to be doing
very well in spite of the challenges that are, that the obstacles that you're, you're faced with,
with the MCI, the, the brain fog, the confusion and, you know, some of that stuff is just,
(55:12):
some of that is a part of aging, but, but dementia is not part of normal aging. There's nothing
normal about that. That is a, you know, a disease that, you know, we, we need to address and, and you've
addressed it. And I think one of the things that I'm encouraged by is that your message is, don't sit
(55:33):
back, don't give up, get in the game and get in to get some help. And there's, there's hope. I think
that they're showing some amazing studies out there where, you know, that eventually Alzheimer's
and other types and forms of dementia can be reversed. And it's very, very encouraging with
(55:57):
the mind-telling of life. Yes, even from my perspective, your perspective even broader than my more,
is, you know, the podcast and other things that you, but from even from my little perspective,
of my friends and who tell me that they've had issues, yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm encouraged by how much
this whole area is, is evolving. And, you know, yeah, far, you know, yeah.
(56:21):
Well, you're a living testament. And I'm going to, so thank you for being on aging
today to share your story about living with Alzheimer's disease early on set and how you're taking it on
head on and not backing down and you're doing it. This, this, this podcast is all about it. It's
(56:44):
living your life on your terms. Thank you, sir. And I love that. That's exactly.
And say hello to your lovely wife and thank her for allowing you to be and spend and tell your story
to the rest of the world. And she's a significant part of that. She really is. And we often, you know,
(57:06):
forget how important it is to have the right support around us, the encouragement from our loved ones.
And you've been blessed, young man at 80 years of age to have such a beautiful wife and children
to support you throughout this process. Thank you. And thank you. Just a blessing.
(57:27):
I'm proud of you. Yeah, because you made it. Yeah. So
is there anything else that you want to leave with our listening audience? Not really. I think
we've said it all more. We've said it all. I love it. You know, it feels something,
different. Yeah. It's not right to do something about it. And there's a lot of stuff to do now.
(57:52):
There was a time when you're going to start something like you did. Uh oh. Well, you're just going to
feed in the sunset. And that even goes to the physical things. And you heard, and remember, my grandparent,
they're struggling around all their lives. We heard me. We're now, me replacement,
a little bit of shock of whatever it is. They're short as long. Not just stuff you can do well.
(58:15):
Here we are at this kind of thing. So Mark, it's been an absolute pleasure. You make this
in this sort of engagement easy. Yeah. Well, good. Good. And Ron Gooden,
God's blessings to you. Thank you so much for sharing your story. And, you know,
(58:36):
I, I'm so grateful that I get to meet incredible people like you and you are my inspiration.
You are my hero. And thank you for being that to the rest of the world as well. This is Mark
Turnbull, your host. And I want to thank all of you for tuning into aging today. We are the podcast
where together we're exploring the many options to aging on your terms, just like Ron has done on
(59:01):
his terms. Join us every Monday when we release a new conversation on aging today to your favorite
podcast channel. And remember this, we're all in the process of aging. And as we age,
we really are better together. So stay young at heart.
Do you make me feel so young? Do you make me feel like spring is from? And every time I see your face,
(59:27):
I'm such a happy individual, the moment that you speak. I want to go play hide and seek. I want to go and bounce the moon,
just like a toy balloon, well you and I, I'll just like a bulletots, running across the metal.
(59:52):
They can have lots of, forget me night so you made me feel so young. You made me feel there are songs to be sung,
there will still be wrong and wonderful things to be found. And even when I'm old and grey,
you've been listening to Aging Today, where together we explore the options to aging on your terms.
(01:00:16):
Join Mark and his guest next week for another lively discussion on proactively aging on your terms,
connecting you to the professional advice of his special guests with the goal of creating better days
throughout the aging process. Your host has been Mark Turnbull. Join Mark and his guest every week on
Aging Today, your podcast to exploring your options for aging on your terms.
(01:00:40):
And even when I'm old and grey, you make me feel the way I feel today,
'cause you make me feel so, you make me feel so, you make me feel so young,
so young, you make me feel so young, you make me feel so young.
I started noticing that just forgetfulness, well, we not talking about just leaving the keys
(00:05):
somewhere else, so I did, I need my cell phones somewhere else.
There are a lot of major things. My language was a big thing. The word that should have gone
right there in a sentence and in a delivery, but you know, and as a teacher, the cows
professor, you know, that's a bit unsettling to say at least.
(00:32):
And now the podcast we're together, we discuss proactive aging on your terms, connecting to the
professional advice of our special guests, while creating better days throughout the aging process.
Now here's your host, Mark Turnbull. Hello everyone and I want to welcome everybody back to
(00:52):
another lively discussion on aging today. We are the podcast where we explore the many options to
aging on your terms. You can find aging today and all of our past eight years of programs
on our website. All you got to do is go to agingtoday.us and then for those of you that want to follow us
(01:12):
on your favorite Spotify or podcast channels such as Spotify, Pandora, Apple, I Heart, there's so
many out there, YouTube that you can always check in with us as well. And then we want to hear from you
our listeners out there and all you got to do is reach out to me, your host, Mark Turnbull,
and my email is mark@agingtoday.us. It's mark with a K at agingtoday.us. So as you know, this is a
(01:41):
in podcast about aging and it's we always say that if you're not too busy being born, you're too
busy aging and it doesn't matter what age and we all have issues through the aging process so we try
to touch on all of those things. But one of the aging dilemmas that we all face in this world is
(02:01):
many of us are facing a huge population is dementia and we're going to be talking about a specific
type of dementia today. It's Alzheimer's and here to tell us about his journey living with Alzheimer's
is Ron Gooden. Ron, welcome to agingtoday. Thank you, Mark. Let it be here.
(02:25):
Yeah, I'm very, very excited to have you on our podcast today and I'm anxious to hear your story.
But what we always do, Ron, is that we always ask the question, what is in your story? What led you
just kind of give us a brief synopsis of your life story and what brought you to this place where
(02:50):
you are today? Wow, kind of literally Christ. Let me talk about me who I am. I'm an eight-year-old man.
Marry for three years. And you're looking good there, my man. But actually, I'm 57 years married to
my best friend and three middle-aged children, two grandchildren. I've been working 60 years
(03:19):
pretty much full-time. That includes my time in the Navy about 20 years teaching at Community College
in Philadelphia about 20 years as a sales manager with New York Life Insurance Company.
And you spread out 15 or 20 other years being a counselor, therapist, life coach. Also,
(03:45):
by the way, I'm grateful, very grateful, hand to survivor. I think in about as much of a nutshell,
Mark, as I can make that these 60 years are probably, that's about it.
It sounds like you've lived a full life and it's been a lot of challenges. Just like anybody's story,
(04:08):
there's all kinds of villains that freely roam in and out of our story lines. And oh my goodness,
battling the cancer. What type of cancer did you have? It was prostate cancer, Mark.
prostate cancer. And is it clear now? Eight years. Clear of it.
Nice. Very well done. Oh great. Yeah. Yeah. And now you're facing another villain in your life.
(04:37):
It's called MCI for those of you don't know what MCI is. It's mild cognitive impairment.
And so I'd like you to let's we're going to unpack that today and we're going to spend some time
talking about your specific journey dealing with Alzheimer's is what you've been diagnosed with.
(05:00):
Is that correct? That's correct. Absolutely correct. Yeah. So in your story,
when was it that you started to begin to see some of the symptoms that were saying, hey,
there's something going on here? About four years ago, Mark, I just I start noticing that
(05:26):
just forgetfulness. Well, we not talking about just leaving the keys somewhere else. So I need my cell
phone with somewhere else. We know about major things. You can introduce me to somebody in five minutes,
not hours a day, five minutes from name. I make the name is slip my mind. My language was a big
(05:50):
thing. The word that should have gone right there in a sentence and in a delivery, you know,
fortunately at my age, I could manage a five turn dance around and find other words that you
can fit in there. But you know, and as a teacher, the college professor, you know, that's a bit unsettling
(06:10):
to say at least, I can remember a time when, which I think this is the first big hit I'm teaching a class
lecture, it right in the middle of the mess, I don't got where I was. What the heck? So I can't even imagine
the cold silence that came over everything. These are grown-ups, pants already, or computer-graded
(06:38):
for me to say something wise and bang. And it was like a fall. I tried to kind of bring it back
further away, it seemed to have gotten from me. Fortunately, the class, you know, I looked at
all of them like I'm all, forgive me, class, I'm an old guy and they snickered and I'm sure they didn't.
(07:03):
But for me, it was kind of devastating right at that moment. That's kind of what I knew,
this is, I've been teaching 20 years, I've got 95,000 classes into them, this. Whoa,
and I could bring it back quicker. You know, it's like memory laughs. I could always bring it back
(07:27):
easily. This one somehow grins. So that's what I knew. I have a problem. And
wrote me a verdict of all of the sounders and friends who suffered sadly and the people who were
cared for, and for them, also friends, telling me how awful that was. So yeah, I had known about it,
(07:51):
never thought it would eat me, honestly, and down. Yeah, just to think of it.
When you started noticing some of the changes in your speech patterns and you were starting to
notice some of the forgetfulness and the loss of words, who did you go to first? You know,
(08:13):
you've been married for 57 years and congratulations. I mean, that's remarkable in this day and age.
And I'm assuming your wife, you know, if I can be presumptuous is probably your best friend,
did you go to her first and what was her response? Well, first thought, oh, that's selective memory loss.
(08:38):
Wives, that's a thing because you see, you see, you remember when the game is coming on, you see
the remembers, you know, he went there like, but that was early on. He had to stay note herself. Yeah,
maybe I'll see somebody, you know, all right, so I get it. So we both noticed it. I noticed it because
(08:59):
it impact it had to be directly one eyeball, the eyeball with people and especially students.
But she started, she had to admit, this is more of their selective memory. So why don't you see
somebody going back? We did. I say we because after 57 years, me, it's like everything's weak.
(09:20):
And when you're a doctor, a doctor whom we love that been a doctor for years, he concluded,
but don't worry about it. And you're ready to get an old.
And I can say, I love and respect my doctor. I come to the conclusion
(09:42):
and I'm spoken to him about it. Later on, he just sees me as a vigorous kind of guy.
And my plate doesn't seem as obvious maybe as somebody who's, you know, really,
a little, little, little almost really, they're really lost in that fog that I talked to you about.
(10:08):
And so it didn't seem that way to him. And he's up at all. I said, Doc,
and basically says something like if it continues like this, but you're going to find that it's
part of aging. I'm not doing it.
I think it's really important to recognize that that kind of forgetfulness is not a part of normal
(10:36):
aging process because there's so many people out there that live into their 80s and 90s
and even early hundreds that don't have some, you know, there's going to be a little bit of that
loss. But when you're talking about the brain fog and all of those things, it's interesting that
your doctor, you know, kind of, you know, downplayed it a little bit. How did that make you feel?
(11:00):
It made me, you know, less than it made me want to, the kind of flick happens.
If he'd been some other doctor, we didn't know how it'd have thought that doctor is being
really not for fasting, number one, to soften that blow. And maybe not knowledgeable. That would have
(11:21):
kind of had me proceed on saying that, you know, maybe you know, we did a new doctor, but our doctor,
we love our doctor. He's been that one for years. I learned a different number. He'd see him.
He knows me so well. He does so well. And all he's seen of me was bigger. All he's seen is me
with somebody, "Ah, go with enthusiasm." And he kind of looked at it like that. He's
(11:47):
anyway. All of those things. He was trying to put a positive spirit on it. Don't worry about it.
Don't get stressed over it. Yeah. And there's some, there's some truth to that. You know, I think that's
important. You know, I wouldn't want to diss on your doctor right now. But, you know, they think
that there's some of that that is true, that, you know, you do want to maintain a positive,
(12:09):
positive attitude. And did he, did he immediately then, so we didn't immediately do anything,
then the next step was you left the doctor's office. And then when did you go back and say, "Duck,
it's getting progressively worse?" I need a second opinion here.
(12:29):
Sorry, cutting out a lot. I didn't even go back at that point on the front side of this thing.
I'm saying, let me, you know, I'm the kind of guy who I'm always asking as a, there was a cancer,
once you diagnose, all right, what's next? What is next? I'm just, I feel like that. Yeah.
So I started looking internet, all kinds of play, asking people, well, I ended landing on a study
(12:57):
that was happening. Study of memory, sounded all good between whatever, 165 and 80, anybody
can find themselves suffering from memory loss. Call it. I called them, turns out the study was way,
like, two hours away, but it was important enough for me. Call them, let me go check it out,
(13:21):
my wife and then I jumped into the car, they had, so at this point I had been diagnosed, right?
Must have been two days worth of things that they go through to make a proper diagnosis.
And after they told me, you know, of course they talked about
(13:43):
plaque, all that, what's gonna happen, so on the brand stuff. But let us see where you're at.
And that's when just a whole pattern, testings, be it the card testings, verbal writing testings,
and they had me get a PET scan and, um, MRI, it makes sure it wasn't like an organic thing,
(14:11):
bi and bi after a while, two weeks of that, that was, I was, an extra bit of official diagnosis
of all of some, but fantastic to do that. Um, so okay, and here's what we do. He would, Dr.
went on to say, first of all, kudos to you Ron, for not just buying this, I'd say everyone,
(14:35):
or by the way, uh, Mark, it helps. Yeah, one of my dearest friends who we have a kind of, we live in a car,
well, my dearest friend who was a judge, who kind of judge now is stark as a cat. So again, I'd be,
he's a guy that's bringing the flat is so dark, was he can tell the joke, a complicate, and bring it
(14:58):
whole just among the things that this game above, but I watch him, he's one of my poker guys, every Monday,
night, we have a poker damn. And two or three of these guys, they're all at my age. The judge is 83,
you know, and so, whoa, I know that this is an automatic. I knew that and my doctor, Mr. Ray study,
(15:21):
confirmed all that. He didn't talk about, yeah, you know, there is some leakage, right,
some for many people in the middle, but no need for you to just kind of fall back, rattling, and then they
start the conversation around, um, ours is going to medicate you on what habits, one of support,
(15:44):
uh, one of all kinds of little things you can do in the meantime, along with, I mean, sort of program,
along with the medication, we, we say you would be happy with that basically, we say you'll see
improvement, certainly we don't expect to see a falling, but decline in where you are now. That
(16:10):
was the expectation. That was three and a half years ago, hard. And I've been going every two weeks,
my wife and I, my wife had to be involved in counting the real thing. We go take that to a ride up. I,
I can go on and on. I don't know where the questions will go now. I have a feeling that you
(16:35):
want to go deeper into that process. The fact is, it can say at this point that, man, I feel
go good. I feel so fortunate. I feel confident that I can do stuff that there for a time. I say,
you know what? My professional life is kind of over because I had this thing and that's kind of,
(17:02):
I looked at it, it's now been determined that I do in fact have this thing that won't allow me to
do the kinds of stuff that I like to. At one point, by the way, I thought about retiring and going into
doing speaking about motorbades, motorbades must be at one point. That's, that's the thing,
(17:25):
that is totally, yeah. And so, and it's okay. That's going now. There's some things I can do,
absolutely well in some things that probably not a good idea for me to do. I've come to that
real easy. And that's okay. Now, so, so let me just be clear. So you started going to this clinic
(17:46):
that had a specific program that helped you with your MCI, your mild cognitive impairment.
Can you share with us a little bit about, and then you've since then, this was three and a half
years ago, correct? That you started going. So since then, you've seen a remarkable improvement
(18:07):
or a stabilization, what's the best way to say that of your MCI? Certainly stable,
pralining, right? It's more stable. It's not getting, it's not growing more confusion, more
brain fog. It's kind of stabilized. You still struggle with this thing. I'm still struggling
(18:28):
with some of those things. There's no doubt. Yeah. But yes.
So, so what when when you went to the clinic and they said, hey, we've got some assistance
that can help you to live your best life possible, do they do describe what that, what the
specifics are that they did? Did they do like activities? Did they do brain games? Did they do,
(18:56):
were you doing pushups all day long? What did they have you do to help stabilize?
If not physical pushups, we're calling brain pushups. Okay. Your challenge is all about making my brain
(19:16):
work a little harder, making my brain think out of the box. Things like, when you hold,
run, walk around in the dark, don't run, walk around in the dark. Man, it seemed like a small thing,
but it forces your brain to not be so tied into convenience. If you're right handed,
use your left hand as often as you can. Besides the brain games, you know, I'm getting that
(19:43):
for every way now. My daughters are doctor living in Vegas and she's sent me all kinds of brain
games, but they all get all works because it's all about challenging your brain. I come into
a cleanly in the lot because I was there for a minute and still sometime, the easiest thing
(20:04):
for us all that got us to do, this is kind of close back, that if we don't get it right away,
instantly is gone. So we hardly ever challenge our brain. And I know that we're slowly, we're
all the ever challenging because it's easy. The other part of your brain is saying, "Why do you
(20:25):
need this now? You're creating an over." I'm so glad I don't, as much, I don't often get more
listened to that lazy part of my brain. It's very comfortable, but it listens to my opportunities.
(20:45):
And I'm still even at 80. I find myself still kind of in an opportunity mode.
Realistically. So it's just that, I still think I can do some stuff. I won't be able to do
motivational speaking. I still have clients. He's still in me.
Well, Ron, I'm going to challenge you on that thought that you are doing motivational speaking
(21:12):
right now. So you're speaking to an audience out there and there's others that are living
right alongside of you. And your inspiration is motivational. Thank you. So you are doing it.
So I guess I may, but yeah, I agree and appreciate and value being able to say something that
(21:36):
makes somebody else better maybe than they were. It's somebody comfortable than they were.
And I can see that in your countenance that that's who you are, Ron. You've lived
80 years on this planet. And you've, I can sense that in you that you're an outward, you view the
(22:00):
world outwardly. You don't view the world inwardly that it's all about, Ron. This is, this is about
you being a part of a greater story out there because we all have our stories. And you're just
living yours out. And this villain came along called MCI and is interrupted your story. But that's
(22:22):
nothing new because you had another villain called cancer, prostate, Mr. prostate. And you know,
you took it head on and you don't seem to be the kind of guy that is blaming everybody else for
all the different adventures that you've been on. You've embraced them. You've taken them and
looked at them square in the face and said, uh-uh, not on my terms, no way. So I really appreciate
(22:50):
you about you. Yeah, you're, you pretty much describe my desire to be better than to make the
world a little bit better because, you know, be that person that you, what the world, be that change
you want to see in the world. And I was raised with my dad is my biggest hero ever. And my mother was
(23:13):
like a saint in the state. And so I'm got nothing to worry about. I got no reason not to be accountable.
I got really, you know, people are right. How can I not be a reasonably decent human being?
That's all I saw around me. And as I said, my dad is my superman. And he was that kind of a guy. And
(23:39):
certainly so with my mom. And I think that is so important that we have our role models. And our heroes
are, you know, not the sports heroes out there in our lives. They're, they're amazing people, yes.
But the real heroes in our life are, our mothers, our fathers, the family, siblings, and those people
(24:03):
that are really mean something to us that are not fickle. And, and I'm so glad that I get to hear
that part of your story, Ron, because as you know, our culture is missing that today. And the reason
why you want to have a strong family. And I want the young people to hear this. I'm 67, Ron. I'm
(24:26):
right on your tail. And you're at the front of the baby boomers. I'm at the tail end of the baby
boomers. And if there was anything that I could tell to the younger generation, I know you would say
the same thing is an embrace family, embrace honor your mother and your father, whatever that means
to you, find a way because as you age, the only people that you're going to stick around you and
(24:52):
close by to you is it's called blood, the bloodline. Amen. Amen. Yeah.
Keep the main things, the main things. And that is, are those people already done and then so much
in your life, even when it pain them, you know, I just, you know, I get it. I thank God all the time that I
(25:18):
seemed to understand the main things and make things you talked about making sure those things. And
the understanding that you get what you give out here and that, it's so happening, it's just giving
things. I have, I am so inspired by being able to help. And anyway, like I say, my phone rings
(25:44):
a couple times a day, sometimes we, we, we're doing these friends or others who really see the respect
my little counsel and all rings are when it's just kind of kicking it around. My optimism, yeah,
is what seems to lift. Otherwise, I would stop the hookahack I think I am
(26:07):
counseling people talking about people who's in try to lift them up. But people keep calling
it makes me a humbly and okay, something about my style seems to work. And I think it can be my
intellectual after care, my good loves you can't it must be my optimism and gratitude.
(26:33):
Did you know that Alzheimer's disease cases are projected to rise from 6 million to 13 million
Americans by 2050? Because Alzheimer's disease often remains under diagnosed, many Americans may not
know they have it. This did you know moment was provided by today's guest and is brought to you by
Royal Hospice of Oregon. Yeah. And and I think that, you know, one of the things that as we all face the
(27:02):
various villains in our life at some portion down the road, whatever that journey leads for you as an
individual, there are certain heroes that come into our lives that shore us up. And we need that. You
cannot do this alone. And I want to hear a little bit about your best friend, your lover, your wife
(27:23):
of 57 years and the impact that she made on your life to encourage you to go forward and I'm being
presumptuous. Maybe she didn't. But I don't think that's the case in this situation. Tell us about her.
She won't let me bail. Finish it. Yeah. Well, this is a chance to brag about her. Not will. I just
(27:46):
am I easiest behind every I always say behind every good man is a great woman again. Let us say I
watch in my father and my grandfather and dad, my son. I've seen that how that works. A communication
respect.
Determination working together. You know, just take what they say like this, or can we say take the
(28:13):
L the Lawrence take the L from time to time as you know, I mean, just not. But my wife has from the day,
maybe a few days after she you know, you see it in stories. I was in it very quickly. I was in
the Navy when I met her. She was about 1819. Guess I was robbing the cradle. And I was on hold on to
(28:38):
you met her and about I was 20, 20, one, one, one, one, one, two, you know, get at the service in 22.
She was asking on a date, we all on picnic. She had a date. I had a date and others had a date.
And I just loved the way she wrote. But my friend was her date. But at that time, I just liked her style.
(29:04):
I was, I could see she was smart, but not a smart answer if you know what I mean. She was smart. Yeah.
And just played in when smart needed to happen. Just responded when a response needed to happen.
She just fit. No.
And see that. Well, was I taking by her? It doesn't matter. I went back on to the Navy,
(29:31):
forget wherever station in California, so in Long Beach, with back.
I finished up my term. I had her online line more every single day as I was okay.
I'd give back. First thing I do is contact my friend, which he had moved on. But I found a guy
(29:52):
and tell me, how are you and you and Sandy? I'm fully again, like, oh, you've been married all by now.
Somebody smart, a scoop to run. He said, oh, no, Sandy, I would just feel she in the brain.
But we just friend, you came to the picnic. Do you know what she's at now?
(30:13):
Did my investigation order out the rest of the history? She makes me feel
a lie. It makes me feel better. She always has.
Made me feel like a better man than I probably am.
(30:36):
Don't do kind of thing. And the failures I've had, you know, those demons out there
that I may want to come in and why and I don't get it. You've got no problem. It's not you.
Don't live down to that. Please, look up to the radio show. He's been pushing me,
(30:58):
everything including this, including the cancer thing, every down that I've ever taken, he was there
to lift me up. And, you know, we got to a point where she doesn't have a way out about it.
She just reminds me a way about this man that she loves and this best friend of hers.
(31:20):
And she got no problem telling me the reason you love this guy. And so she can't really accept
this guy doing this other way. So yeah, she's in the back, in the back.
And so it's been a journey of 57 years for better, for worse. And you went through the cancer,
now you're going through the MCI, the mild cognitive impairment. And she's still standing beside you.
(31:46):
And that's got to be a huge encouragement to you or anybody that is living through any kind of
long-term chronic illness or disease is knowing that the people that mean so much to you are
walking right alongside of you. I can't. I think so much of whatever success I've had in anything
(32:11):
is to kind of show off for her, kind of be the person that he's seen as always think
that I could be and was. So dropping the ball was kind of that. I cannot show my wife. And not
(32:31):
to see how to put it to me like that if you don't do it. Never that is my own personal
place I had to live up to because she, I don't know, foolishly or not, she's always out of me
on rare, on some kind of high places for good men to go. And so that was the goal. And even that kind of
(32:56):
encouragement meant that you didn't have to tell me all the times. It wasn't we knew. I could look at
her and see either she to look at her and see pride. And going up is more than I could.
Let's shift gears here a little bit and go back to the clinic. And so your wife is beside you.
(33:20):
She's supporting you through this whole process. And you get to the clinic and the clinic saying,
okay, let's see what we can do to stabilize or improve upon your memory, your memory loss.
And see if we can get rid of the brain fog. So they put you on a regiment of activities,
(33:41):
brain activities, all kinds of red men. I get IV of a, of a girl called lecandie the first.
So it was a combination of activities and then they also introduced a pharmaceutical
medication that would also assist in that. So what's the name of the medication?
(34:02):
Lecandie L-A-Q-E-M-B-I Lecandie. That's the medication. I take IV every two weeks and I go,
but the first six months to now is this on a trial that you're doing it? Are you doing it through a study?
Yes. Or was this something that's already been done and they just prescribed it to you?
(34:26):
This is a study, but this medication has been approved. The FDA goes only two medications I understand
that have been thoroughly approved by all the National E-Pool on the same likely FDA and the American
M-A-M-A. So it's been approved for this. I'm sure there are a lot of companies trying to introduce
(34:52):
their thing. I have no doubt that five years from now there'll be several more proofs right now
in the campaign. There's a crew as an adjunct to metal plants, mental games, mental stressors,
things that get society. Mental brain exercises. You have a certain aim that making your brain
(35:19):
get off the couch. Yeah, all the plaques and the tangles that are
destroying the brain cells is what's going on. That's a...
And so a combination of the therapies of brain activities, the combination of some medication,
(35:40):
and you've seen over the last three and a half years a remarkable progression
in the positive direction. I have. And I hesitate because I know first I'd have to say this has been
my dream, you know, I don't know that it's probably to say the conveyer, all the same thing for you.
(36:03):
Yeah, you should go do that. You should go do that. But my dream has shown a remarkable
improvement from just three and a half years ago when I thought, "Ah, it's over, I'm at it. I'm
going to retire." Thank God I could afford to retire. Certainly not a hefty financially,
(36:25):
but I get afford to retire. And then it made it even easier to say, you know what?
My brain's gone like this already. You had at that time, 76 or 77. But that didn't last.
This month, with my life loving me on, you're not, and things, you're not, no, you're not as happy
(36:48):
when you're not vigorous when you're not. And I mean, not just physically vigorous,
mentally vigorous when you can't be of help. Yeah. Where there are any other therapies that they
interjected into your life, in other words, whether some lifestyle changes that you were having to
(37:08):
take a look at, in particular, I was thinking of diet. So did they change your diet?
Because there's a lot of research out there in regards to diet. Well, certainly they suggested
the sugars, the salts kind of play down on them just because they're not processed food,
just because they're just generally not healthy. And when you're generally not healthy in one way,
(37:34):
it sort of spans over to other ways. So then exercise regularly exercise, make sure
add up. Have you done that all of your life in a regular exercise or stayed in a relative shape?
But they didn't have to meet you up with that one. If you were to describe your eating habits,
(37:58):
you know, in the first 60, 70 years of your life, how would you describe them? I have a sweet tooth.
You and me both. Right there, I'm sure I've eaten too much sugar. I had the
beat down on my fingers because I get everything you read talks about this thing that we have marked.
(38:22):
We got in that, that's younger, don't even with this, we too figure out some other things you can do.
And listen to it more minimally. And I think if it's in your mind, you will kind of back off a little bit.
Really, really. I didn't, I now have connected that to a decreasing memory.
(38:43):
So you're like, whoa, so maybe I would do, we get ice cream with man. Maybe once the big sprups
instead of two is those things that are happening all the time. Maybe one glass of lemonade instead of two is that.
It's kind of the way I'm dealing with it. You know, so still there's the sweet tooth.
(39:09):
And still there's these memory glasses.
Yeah. And you mentioned processed foods where you a big processed food consumer that you could
do fast food, restaurants, it's a great. So we really,
ways that we've been empty nestled, we really, we had a period and we were going out to eat
(39:32):
at rest of our all the time because empty nesters get to do that.
But we that period is gone. We mostly, I mean 85% of the time, 90, I mean wheels,
by wise meal. So, yeah, I don't think I've
(39:52):
well, and you and you were a part of that generation where more whole foods and were consumed.
There wasn't a lot of discretionary money to go around to go out to restaurants.
Yeah. And, you know, and that's way I was raised as well. I tell that to my children and they go
(40:13):
really. You only went to one, one fast food. We used to have in Hillsboro, Oregon. It was
A and W root beer, you know, that was our big thing. And then when we'd go visit my mom,
or my dad's mom and dad, my grandparents in Salem, we'd stop off at Bob's 19 cent hamburgers.
(40:35):
And that was, that was the extent of going out for us. It wasn't, wasn't a lot on a schoolteacher salary.
There wasn't a lot of extra income. That is time, maybe, to generate some, because that
we mostly, yeah, yeah. And so for that, for us, for you and me, that was good, you know, that paid off
(40:57):
in the long run because I remember mom and her mom, they did a lot of canning and of their own
fruits and vegetables and, you know, so things were a lot more wholesome back in those days. And then
we got away from that, obviously in the 70s and the 80s, but we're, and we're, I think we're seeing
(41:18):
the effects of that long term. Yeah, dad and dad, just, I'm going all the way around, but the things I see
around me, that, you know, and go, BC is just one of the things I see in the world as I've
done to harass students, as I say, but, you know, hard problems. Yeah, many, many, many, many physical,
(41:45):
which move on to mental and emotional and spiritual problems. They just bring them right down
the path. And it's a clear path. We don't, we don't even need much read me. We don't even
need all of them. We just have it. But I enjoy a big mat some time to time.
(42:05):
Yes, you do. Well, I think we all do. And, you know, I think there's, it's moderation, you know,
I think that just like anything else in life is the moderation. But so, so you have this, you
go into the clinic and they've got you on some, some brain exercises, your brain push ups as you
(42:27):
call it, love that term. And then they've also got you on this medication. And then there's some
lifestyle changes that you've thrown into the mix as well. And a combination of all those things
has helped reduce your MCI or stabilize it. Do you, where, where are you at in the journey right now?
(42:49):
Great question. Because friends ask me my age. What? How's that memory thing? I need to get
nothing like that because we all forget stuff for my age. And I don't think theirs has been as
I don't think the dive was as heavy as mine or they would have made, these are those people,
(43:09):
these are for example, people that are friends are like, they would have made steps. I think,
so I tell them when you say, are you better? They won't take it that simple. Well, I still forget stuff.
But I am so confident about pretty much everything going full. So that's where it's left me. This
(43:32):
combination of the medication, the treatment, the brain game, the lifestyle, the support I get from
my team there at the brain thing, because they continue to say things like, "Rod, look at you."
What? I don't even see any days that I don't even see this relax and these are people in,
(43:56):
I'm sure they're saying a lot of this to me, making me feel good, but it does. It works.
You know, I don't see any deficiencies in you. All of that has yielded
mark a confidence that I can do pretty much what I did five, four, five, years ago. I haven't even
(44:22):
separated from what I can't do other than motivational features. You know, I just realistically
think for any audience that particular issue like bringing an idea home is important. You know,
and I really want to waste anybody's time, I can do that kind of stuff individual like you were saying.
(44:45):
But the plan I had about more than me, I met at a thousand people. I was thought to certainly a hundred.
So that was going to be my retirement. And I was so from my thought, it was from 75 to
75, where I must tell God is me that was going to be the thing I did because I've done something like that,
(45:10):
but so long. You know, but yeah, I'm confidence is what a year because I don't see
the problems not lingering. And by the way, they also give me little notes, little things to do
about listening better. Don't take notes. You ought to see my dance at the office. It's riddled with
(45:37):
my little notes. Copies notes. That's like all of a sort of camp down. So I have my note. So I don't
mind saying also, which you say, I don't get what was my name again. Don't be in a place where even though
you have this limitation that you're now afraid of it too. I'll be exactly turns out people don't mind at all.
(46:04):
You're within my life now. I have the same. So now I do that from the start. You know, I listen better
to things I should remember. I like my notes. I don't mind going there. I don't mind a
popular. What was your name again? Please brain blame my head, not my heart. You know,
(46:29):
you look, come on, the phrases I've got is around that. So with that, and this definite feeling of
not going backwards, whether I'm level up for now, I definitely not feel like I'm going backwards.
I feel maybe like I'm better.
(46:51):
Yeah. That's got to feel really good. Which kind of leads me to my next question for you as a man
and spending your time with your best friend, your wife. Do you have a bucket list?
While your mind is one thing about chronic illnesses and diseases is they're interruptors.
(47:19):
They can interrupt our lives to where they take away our dreams, our aspirations, the things that
we want to continue to do in life. And you're that kind of a person that says, uh, uh, not on my watch,
not on my terms. Do you have a bucket list of things that you and your wife would like to be doing
(47:41):
for the next 10, I do not. I do not.
I have a specific bucket list. I seem to be living that life that I hope you're living in the bucket
right now. As I say, maddening my friends and my daughters living family in Vegas and her little love
that my son is about to be making get mad at a second time. Is that December the 7th of this
(48:07):
year, he's going to get back to his own widow. First wife, he lost his first wife,
grandkids, everybody in the wonderful, everybody's well, everybody's, uh, I am living. I'm like over the
moon right here. I really have my fantastic. Is there anything that you would want to pass on to those
(48:32):
that are just beginning to understand that they're living with some mild cognitive impairment or
some early onset, dementia's of various kinds? Is there anything that of wisdom that you can bring
up to them? Obviously don't let that thought stop. Don't yet help reach out. There's helped more
(49:00):
and more and more seniors because so many of us now, you talked about it, that baby boom,
that's so mad. So now I expect five years from now as I said earlier that he'll be central.
Things like the Kember and there'll be several programs. But you gotta reach out. I mean,
not going to jump into your lap and not going to knock on your door. So I would say don't settle
(49:27):
for settling. Don't don't live in a hole of free to express your condition,
afraid to express that you need help and say no, just like somebody, all of a sudden their knees
not working. Whatever they love to get, I need replacement for shoulder replacement. This may,
(49:51):
may seem like a drastic different, but maybe not. There is a next step in which day in 2024,
there is a next step. And I'm on by to you absolutely with a test to get help. Don't be.
Yeah. And I think it's harder for us men. Men have a harder time of letting go of our belief systems.
(50:14):
We were the ones that built and pulled ourselves up by our own bootstraps. That's how our
our dads taught us to live our lives. And the downside to that is that sometimes our belief systems
get in the way and we become stubborn and we go, I don't need to go see a doctor. I can work this
out. I've worked it out all my life and it'll all turn out. And that's not the case. You, we,
(50:39):
at some point, you've got to be humble enough to be able to say, hey, I need some help. And you did
that. And so now you're a living, you're a living legend by being humble enough to say, hey, I need
a little assistance. That right. I'm, I'm, what kind of. And I'm sure your wife kicked you in
(51:01):
there. No, not as well. Right. You would not, like, they allowed, they allowed us to,
that she already thought, yeah, I've already seen you do that at some point. I've already seen
you master that at some point. So don't bail out, you know, do that always grateful for that
head that little nudge. And it so far has always turned out that that fall is just an experience.
(51:29):
Just an experience. It makes me stronger along those lines. Come on, it's all.
Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, in conclusion, you know, we're, we're going to wind up our interview
here. And I, I, I remarkable story. And I want to say, thank you so much for taking the time to come
on and share it with the rest of the world because there are so many people that are in the same
(51:52):
position that you are. And they may not have the support system that you've had. I mean, you've
been blessed with a beautiful wife and children and a lot of great friends. And for those that,
that have found themselves in the same situation, is there any lasting advice other than saying,
(52:13):
go get the help? But is there anything else that you'd like to share with them?
Remind them that we, you know, they've lived long, probably if they're in the state,
they're probably not 25 years old, right? Love. You've already noted how in your lifetime,
when one door shut, another one's open, consider that like this. The door that we shut was, it was,
(52:38):
one that was convenient, one that was, it was uncomplicated. You didn't have to remember stuff if
you didn't have to remember because of the job, because of that, it was stuck there, you know?
You should have reached, you're reaching. And you know, I'd have reached like crazy, maybe a little
(53:02):
reach for you for that person, then maybe not used to being in reach mode. It's so happened,
I was kind of into reach mode, right? Getting that. But if you're not, a guarantee is, got to be better
with this kind of help, then now you've got to make better with this kind of, you know, if you fall
(53:26):
back into any kind of habit, you wouldn't even get thought that would be better with this kind of
support. Yeah. Yeah. You've got such an interesting story and you're an interesting personality,
you know, you're, I loved having this conversation with you. Is there, is there anything in the future?
(53:49):
Are you going to write a book and tell your story is, you know, made for movie? What, what do you think?
Wow. At this point, I'll admit, I'm taking it kind of day to time. There are things that come up
like this, Mark, which I'm humble by, that somebody wants to use my other story to help somebody
(54:14):
else, that part of it makes me all in. Yeah. So if ever, whenever my story of somebody else, I know
blessing and help become my way as they always that. So I'm really, really into being in that support
mode. I seem to have always been in this one to me for such a loop. And I know is,
(54:43):
well, whatever you're doing, whatever you're doing on the activities, the brain pushups,
keep doing them because you're very articulate. At 80 years of age, your mind seems to be doing
very well in spite of the challenges that are, that the obstacles that you're, you're faced with,
with the MCI, the, the brain fog, the confusion and, you know, some of that stuff is just,
(55:12):
some of that is a part of aging, but, but dementia is not part of normal aging. There's nothing
normal about that. That is a, you know, a disease that, you know, we, we need to address and, and you've
addressed it. And I think one of the things that I'm encouraged by is that your message is, don't sit
(55:33):
back, don't give up, get in the game and get in to get some help. And there's, there's hope. I think
that they're showing some amazing studies out there where, you know, that eventually Alzheimer's
and other types and forms of dementia can be reversed. And it's very, very encouraging with
(55:57):
the mind-telling of life. Yes, even from my perspective, your perspective even broader than my more,
is, you know, the podcast and other things that you, but from even from my little perspective,
of my friends and who tell me that they've had issues, yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm encouraged by how much
this whole area is, is evolving. And, you know, yeah, far, you know, yeah.
(56:21):
Well, you're a living testament. And I'm going to, so thank you for being on aging
today to share your story about living with Alzheimer's disease early on set and how you're taking it on
head on and not backing down and you're doing it. This, this, this podcast is all about it. It's
(56:44):
living your life on your terms. Thank you, sir. And I love that. That's exactly.
And say hello to your lovely wife and thank her for allowing you to be and spend and tell your story
to the rest of the world. And she's a significant part of that. She really is. And we often, you know,
(57:06):
forget how important it is to have the right support around us, the encouragement from our loved ones.
And you've been blessed, young man at 80 years of age to have such a beautiful wife and children
to support you throughout this process. Thank you. And thank you. Just a blessing.
(57:27):
I'm proud of you. Yeah, because you made it. Yeah. So
is there anything else that you want to leave with our listening audience? Not really. I think
we've said it all more. We've said it all. I love it. You know, it feels something,
different. Yeah. It's not right to do something about it. And there's a lot of stuff to do now.
(57:52):
There was a time when you're going to start something like you did. Uh oh. Well, you're just going to
feed in the sunset. And that even goes to the physical things. And you heard, and remember, my grandparent,
they're struggling around all their lives. We heard me. We're now, me replacement,
a little bit of shock of whatever it is. They're short as long. Not just stuff you can do well.
(58:15):
Here we are at this kind of thing. So Mark, it's been an absolute pleasure. You make this
in this sort of engagement easy. Yeah. Well, good. Good. And Ron Gooden,
God's blessings to you. Thank you so much for sharing your story. And, you know,
(58:36):
I, I'm so grateful that I get to meet incredible people like you and you are my inspiration.
You are my hero. And thank you for being that to the rest of the world as well. This is Mark
Turnbull, your host. And I want to thank all of you for tuning into aging today. We are the podcast
where together we're exploring the many options to aging on your terms, just like Ron has done on
(59:01):
his terms. Join us every Monday when we release a new conversation on aging today to your favorite
podcast channel. And remember this, we're all in the process of aging. And as we age,
we really are better together. So stay young at heart.
Do you make me feel so young? Do you make me feel like spring is from? And every time I see your face,
(59:27):
I'm such a happy individual, the moment that you speak. I want to go play hide and seek. I want to go and bounce the moon,
just like a toy balloon, well you and I, I'll just like a bulletots, running across the metal.
(59:52):
They can have lots of, forget me night so you made me feel so young. You made me feel there are songs to be sung,
there will still be wrong and wonderful things to be found. And even when I'm old and grey,
you've been listening to Aging Today, where together we explore the options to aging on your terms.
(01:00:16):
Join Mark and his guest next week for another lively discussion on proactively aging on your terms,
connecting you to the professional advice of his special guests with the goal of creating better days
throughout the aging process. Your host has been Mark Turnbull. Join Mark and his guest every week on
Aging Today, your podcast to exploring your options for aging on your terms.
(01:00:40):
And even when I'm old and grey, you make me feel the way I feel today,
'cause you make me feel so, you make me feel so, you make me feel so young,
so young, you make me feel so young, you make me feel so young.
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