This book is for all those in love who find themselves on an unchosen journey. Not just a casual detour, like missing an exit on a fast-moving freeway. Not quite. This book is about being rear-ended, glancing off the guardrail, and finding yourself at the mercy of a tow truck. It is about the surreal, slow-motion derailment of your plans and dreams. 

Carol and Pete’s journey with frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) began in March 2014. They had just celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary. Soon their life together became a series of doctors’ appointments, medications, hospitalizations, and eventually, long-term care living. Yet through it all, their love remained strong.

This is not a fairy tale. Pete and Carol were far from perfect. They had their ups and downs, like any mid-life married couple. Despite being health professionals, they were no better prepared, nor more capable, than any other couple facing ALS-FTD and all that comes with it. Most people are poorly equipped for this journey.

This is not a self-help book, nor a sentimental narrative.

It is a collection of stories drawn from the raw, romantic core of their experience.