Hi…I,m Kerro , but with a list of aka,s as long as my arm….Kerry by birth , …Kaputta as a child , Kleintjie ( small one ) to some…Kleinhans to a few , Kerro to most , Alice , of the famed wonderland , to many and Mama Bear to my children and their friends .
I have felt for years , like many , that one fine day , sitting in an idyllic seaside studio , sipping my G & T whilst humming along to a jolly ditty on the radio , I,d put pen to paper and start to share fabulous lifestories . Tales of adventure , tales of love , tales of dreams realised and those yet before me…. Life however , has a funny way of catching you offguard when you least expect it and throwing you those darn curved balls . So its only now , with my 51st birthday on the horizon , with a great big sword of damacles above my somewhat confused head that I,m finally getting around to writing !! Its now that I feel I have stories to share …..stories of a surprising and unwelcome diagnosis of a debilitating condition , one that has turned my life upside down but has also added another valuable chapter to my life . A chapter of acceptance of that which cannot be changed only managed for as long as I possibly can before others take over that role .
After many years of slow but steady cognitive decline , and what felt like a gazillion visits to specialists , natural healers , witch doctors and the like , there were multiple informed diagnosis given together with stabs in the dark opinions as to what it could possibly be . I finally found myself sitting in neurologists rooms just before my 50th birthday with the news ” Kerry , you have vascular dementia …Its manageable not curable , degenerative not reversable and will with time become completely debilitating , ” It was my birthday for heavens sake , I,d hoped for an overseas trip not a gift voucher for the sanatorium ….and so the new chapter began .
Some friends that were have disappeared in my many hazy days of confusion whilst others have embraced me a little tighter than before …New friends have jumped onboard when least expected…..Family have reeled in shock then pulled together in a tight little cluster to try and come to terms with it all . Its a rollercoaster ride that changes daily …somedays my seatbelt is firmly fastened and I,m ready for the ride and on others I feel i,m about to tip over and be lost forever …..
This blogg is,nt going to be all doom and gloom …far far from it…Its hopefully going to give some encouragement to others who find themselves in a similar position , insight for those who may have friends or family with the illness and those just curious enough to want to travel the road with me out of Wonderland and into the Great Big Forest of the Unknown.
thedoolallydiary 