What Do These Three Men Have in Common?
A Minnesota Congressman, the owner of a nightclub, and a baseball Hall of Famer – what could they have in common? For one, they whole-heartedly pursued their individual passions. Second, they all died within the past few months, in mid-to- late 2020.
There is something else they shared in common, a tragic connection. But first let us first meet these three great men.
Jim Ramstad served in the U.S. Congress for 18 years. He is known for working across the aisle, and championed mental health and addiction issues. (Couldn’t we use more of that now days!) https://patch.com/minnesota/across-mn/longtime-minnesota-congressman-jim-ramstad-dies-74
Allan Fingerhut was the first owner of First Avenue, a Minneapolis nightclub made famous by the filming of Prince’s “Purple Rain”. First Avenue is world-renowned and has hosted many legendary artists. He was also a Vietnam Vet. https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/allan-fingerhut-first-avenues-original-owner-dies
Tom Seaver was one of baseball’s greatest right-hand power pitchers. He won 311 games for four major league teams, primarily the Mets. (He had COVID-19 when he passed away). https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/02/obituaries/tom-seaver-dead-coronavirus.html
What tragedy did these three men share? All three suffered from some form of Lewy body dementia (LBD).
What is LBD? It is the second most common form of dementia, after Alzheimer’s. (Think of “dementia” as the umbrella term; Alzheimer’s, LBD, Vascular dementia, and certain other degenerative brain diseases are types of dementia.) Some people with LBD have symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease, and many of the brain changes are the same. Jim Ramstad was said to have “Parkinson’s with Lewy”. However, LBD can also take its own path.
The most common symptoms of LBD include:
- Changes in thinking or executive function (planning, processing information), memory, or the ability to understand visual information.
- Changes in cognition, attention, or alertness
- Problems with movement such as tremors, stiffness, slowness, and difficulty walking
- Visual hallucinations
- Sleep disorders
- Mood changes such as depression, apathy, anxiety, agitation, delusions, or paranoia
- Bodily changes such as blood pressure control, temperature regulation, bladder, and bowel function https://www.lbda.org/10-things-you-should-know-about-lbd/
Why is this noteworthy? Recognizing symptoms will help family members know when they need to seek medical intervention. A physician may order a neuropsychological evaluation be performed; however they will count on family members to report specific behaviors. While there is no cure for LBD, you may be able to help a family member or friend by understanding this and other dementias.
Part of the reason I wrote “Dancing With Lewy: A Father Daughter Dance Before and After Lewy Body Dementia Came to Live With Us” was to educate people about dementia. My dad was first diagnosed with vascular dementia, then six years later, several months before he died, we were told he had LBD. (He likely had both diseases). Without knowing he had LBD, we had little idea what to expect as his dementia progressed.
You can educate yourself by visiting websites such as Alz.org, lbda.org, or other ones specific to the diagnosis. Be an informed caretaker; visit https://nancyrpoland.com/caregiver-resources/ for ideas and links to many other websites.
If you would like to obtain a copy of “Dancing With Lewy”, there are three ways to do so:
- Order it off my website, https://nancyrpoland.com, and I will ship it to you.
- Buy the E-book off Amazon.com.
- It will be officially released on February 16, 2021. You will be able to buy it in on-line bookstores.
I hope you will never need this information, but chances are you will have a loved one suffering from dementia at some point. Learn all you can, be patient with those who dementia-related symptoms, and find ways to advocate and support research.