A moving account of a woman's struggles with the changing world and her own mortality, Someone I Used to Know offers a powerful reflection on memory, our perception of the world, and the pleasures of living in the present moment.
Wendy Mitchell led a busy life in the British National Health Service while raising her two daughters alone and spending her weekends running and climbing mountains. Until, slowly, a fog began to settle in the depths of the mind she knew so well, obscuring the world around her. She didn't know it at the time, but dementia was beginning to set in. In 2014, at age 58, she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's, and everything—even the smallest details—in her life changed.
In Someone I Used to Know , Mitchell shares the moving story of her cognitive decline and how she fought to prevent it. The landscape of expectations after her diagnosis was daunting, but the author, a determined and resourceful woman, promised herself that she would overcome the challenges posed by the disease as best she could and prove to the world that dementia is not a death sentence. Mitchell also shares deeply moving conversations she had with the person she once was. Thus, Someone I Used to Know promotes a powerful reflection on memory and the relationship we establish with a future that, in our minds, is almost always predetermined.
As she learned to embrace her new life, she began to see her condition as a gift, a chance to experience the world through new eyes and find her own path to making a difference. With an optimistic outlook, Mitchell dedicates her time to educating doctors, caregivers, and others living with dementia, helping to reduce the stigma surrounding this insidious disease.
Philosophical, poetic, intensely personal, and above all, hopeful, Someone I Used to Know is a memoir and a tribute to the woman Wendy Mitchell used to be, as well as a courageous affirmation of the woman she has become.
“A bold and inspiring journey into the mind, heart, and life of a person diagnosed with early-onset dementia.” - Lisa Genova, author of Still Alice
“A book we can all learn from.” - The Sunday Times
