Mark Updates

I thought I'd stick together a little page here containing all the updates pertaining to our struggles through Mark's diagnosis with behavioral variant Frontotemporal Dementia, which we've been dealing with as a family even prior to diagnosis since approximately June 2015.

Mark was an absolutely incredible husband, father, son, brother and friend. The comparison picture below is a drastic depiction of who Mark was before bvFTD and as he is quickly approaching the end stages of bvFTD. Of course, this only captures the physical transformation, and, sadly, the physical transformation mirrors, and yet does not even do justice to the decline his brain has experienced. Mind-blowing, huh?

For the most current updates, scroll to the bottom.  I start at the beginning in 2017 when I started journaling about Mark's condition specifically.  He was diagnosed in mid-February 2018, confirmed with a PET scan in March 2018.  He moved into a facility an hour away in early May 2018.  He has continued with a fairly rapid decline over the past few years, and is now rapidly approaching end stage of the disease.  We still love this man more than words can say, even in the capacity he is in these days.  We miss him tremendously.

2016: House of Cards

• For Better For Worse (July 11)

2017: The Beginning of Searching for Answers

• Reality (October 17)
• God (October 20)
• An Update (October 26)
• Life Update (November 13)
• Mark Update (November 14)
• Managing Meds and Other Stuff (November 29)
• Saying Goodbye to my Mama [while dealing with a husband with FTD] (December 1)
• Update (December 12)
• Questions, Frustrations and Unknowns (December 20)
• Overwhelmed with Blessings (December 23)
• Short Update(December 26)

2018: Diagnosis, "Hair on Fire" Year, and Placement

• New Meds and Lots of Appointments (January 5)
• Slow Progress (January 10)
• Mid-January Mark Update (January 15)
• Tomorrow (February 6)
• A Bad Day and Mayo (February 8)
• Connecting the Minds (February 12)
• Diagnosis, Sleep Apnea Treatment and Hope (February 18)
• Mark (February 21)
• Short Update (February 23)
• All the Things Lately (February 28)
• Mayo Update (March 9)
• Frustration (March 15)
• Down Days and Up Days (March 29)
• Man Cave (April 3)
• Elder Law Meeting And a Break for the Dentist (April 11)
• The Next Steps (April 16)
• Fed Ex Flowers, a Hog, Gratitude and Help (April 24)
• Too Much (April 28)
• The "God" Day (May 4)
• Moving Day (May 14)
• So Much to Say So Little Time (May 22)
• Mark (July 12)
• Life Changes (July 16)
• An Update (September 29)
• Appointments and a Hard Conversation (October 23)
• FTD Adventures in Mankato (December 17)
• Small Update on Life (December 18)

2019: Facility Move, 1:1 Aides, Steady Decline

• A Little Update: Life as Well as Mark (January 7)
• Disaster, Big Decisions and Moving Ahead (January 23)
• Life Happens and The New Facility (April 8)
• Mark Update (June 13)
• Tough Stuff...Again (August 7)
• Changes Since May: A Mark Update (September 16)
• Med Changes, Side Effects and Frustration (November 17)
  
• Mark Update (December 7)
  
• The Beginning... (December 25)
  

2020: Steep Declines

• Chair Number Four...Er...Uh...I Mean Five (January 21)
• Everything and Nothing: An Update (February 5)
• Two (February 14)
• Mark Update (March 6)
• Short Update (March 13)
• COVID-19, A "Visit" and PBS News Hour (April 14)
• Short Mark Update (April 17)
• Weary, Tired Eyes (May 16)
• Declines and Weight Loss: A Mark Update (May 22)