Facing the Wind is a love story about people with Lewy body dementia, the spouses who care for them, and the remarkable community where they find sustenance and support.
The Story
When Linda Szypula, a NJ science teacher, learns her husband Jim has Lewy body dementia (LBD), she goes looking for answers. She finds Curry Whisenhunt, a Texas truck driver, who also has LBD, and together they create a podcast and an online support community.
Linda and Jim plan a go-for-broke road trip to see the national parks and visit members of the support community.
On the other side of the country, hairdresser Carla Preyer rearranges her life to savor time at home with her husband Patrick, her soulmate and spiritual partner.
But as the dementia progresses,
the losses threaten to overwhelm both women
But the power of their remarkable support community
and their connection to each other
help pull them through.
Profiles
“I’m scared that I won’t be able to be there when he really needs me.”
Linda Szypula, 57, had a tough childhood. Then she met Jim and they had three beautiful kids and an idyllic family life. When Jim’s Lewy body dementia fractures that picture, Linda does everything possible to hold the disease at bay – and hold herself together.
“Everybody has a gift. Mine is playing music, but it’s getting pretty tough.”
Jim Szypula, 67, was in a rock band in his 20s. In his 30s, he became an electrician, husband, and a loving, hands-on dad. His Lewy body dementia came on slowly in his early 60s, but eventually cost him his job. Playing the guitar remains his joy and refuge.
“My hallucinations got so bad, when I tried to explain them to a doctor, I would cry.”
Curry Whisenhunt, 61, worked for years in the Texas oil fields. Later he became a long-haul truck driver so his wife could see the country. Curry blogs about his struggle with Lewy body dementia and runs three weekly LBD support groups with loving care and wit.
“Nobody should have to go through this journey alone.”
Carla Preyer, 60, is a hairdresser and a devout Christian with an earthy sense of humor. She married Patrick, the love of her life, at 39. Now her life revolves around his 24/7 dementia care. She relies on the sisterhood of Lewy body spouses to lighten her days.