Losing Sue: A Story About Alzheimer's Disease

The Sister

Sometimes when I look at Sue it's hard to believe she's the same little sister I grew up with. I especially remember how creative and artistic she was as a child: She painted, played the clarinet, and loved to sing. And she had an absolutely gorgeous voice. She was also extremely competent. Even as a kid Sue was the most focused, organized, and hardworking person around.

After graduating from college she moved to Los Angeles to try to make it in the music business. When that didn't work out, she came home to work with our brother's music-production company. Eventually she landed a great position as a network television production supervisor. That took her all over the world. She even went to Norway for the 1994 Winter Olympics.

About a year after her first daughter, Sophie, was born, Sue quit that job. I think she found it too hard to juggle a demanding career with a baby. Besides, she and her husband, Jeff, are very family oriented and I think they felt she should be home more. When her daughters, Sophie and Emma, were little, Sue worked part-time as a teacher at their preschool. She played with them in the afternoon, took them to ballet classes and did arts-and-crafts projects. She loved being a mom.