Author Cathie Borrie had no idea what life would bring her after her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
The journey that she and her mother took is chronicled in her memoir, The Long Hello: Memory, My Mother and Me.
Borrie will be on hand to read from the memoir in a special presentation at the McGill branch of Burnaby Public Library on Thursday, May 7 at 7 p.m.
Borrie began the writing after beginning to care for her mother, Jo, while her mother was living with Alzheimer's disease.
"After many wrong turns in trying to bring back the person her mother used to be, Cathie realized that her role was to follow, not lead," a press release explains. "Delighted by the things Jo would say, Cathie taped their conversations, and their wondrously poetic dialogue became the basis of Cathie's lyrical and poignant memoir."
Borrie spent seven years as her mother's caregiver, and The Long Hello reveals both the emotional strain of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's, as well as the joy, humour and profound intimacy that can result from caregiving.
Her presentation is part of the library's efforts to mark Mental Health Week.
In the same week, on Wednesday, May 6 at 7 p.m., presenters from the Alzheimer's Society of B.C. will be on hand for Heads Up: An Introduction to Brain Health. The workshop provides tips and strategies for everyone to use in improving their health of mind, body and spirit.
The McGill library branch is at 4595 Albert St. The reading and workshop are free, but space is limited. Sign up in person at the library, call 604-299-8955 or register online at www.bpl.bc.ca/events.
