Alzheimer’s disease
There is no place for Alzheimer’s in the picture of a perfect, forward-thinking family life. However, diseases have the worst timing and usually strike at the most unpredictable moment. This is Alice’s story. Her academic achievements, former colleagues and adoration of her students vanish from her life in a bilk on an eye. Any disease, especially incurable one, makes a person to go a long way to acceptance. Alice’s tires to fight it, then suffers and only then accepts. It is important that her children are also able accept that their so clever and active mother is no longer capable to take care of herself. Their grief and sadness are never fully gone, but acceptance helps them to put up with the tragedy and give their mother what she needs more.
In good times and bad
When newlyweds proclaim their wedding vows, they promise each other to be together in good times and bad. More often than not, people forget about it, for it is easy to be together, when a life is good and it is inexplicably difficult when times are bad. Alice and John have three children, they have a book written by then, a real masterpiece which combines linguistics and biology and they have each other. When Alzheimer’s disease enters Alice’s life, John tries to find a way out. He is not able to accept that Alice is going to change from a successful woman to a disabled person soon. He finds a salvation in work, running away from Alice and Alzheimer’s. They had their good times together, but it doesn’t mean that they can pose with bad ones together.
A career choice
All characters of the story take their careers rather seriously. Alice and John are so immersed in work that they almost have no free time to spend together. Their older children also show great results and have extremely bright future. Unlike her parents and siblings, Lydia chooses a different path. She doesn’t even try to pursue an academic career and refuses to waster her life and youth on researches. Her true passion is acting. This career choice causes a lot of quarrels between her and Alice and it takes them a lot of time to understand each other and respect each other’s points of view.
