Mum & Me - A Son's Story of Love, Loss and Vascular Dementia

I wrote Mum & Me not as a self-help book or a guide, but as an honest account of what it feels like to watch a parent slowly disappear through vascular dementia, and to help others realise they are not alone. It tells the story of my mum, a strong, determined Yorkshire woman who spent her life caring for her family, and the gradual reversal of our roles as her memory faded after my father's death and a brain bleed led to a diagnosis of vascular dementia. As my sisters and I adapted our lives to care for her, I experienced the exhaustion, frustration, guilt, loyalty and heartbreak that so many family carers know but rarely speak about. After she died, I was left searching for meaning in the silence that followed, finding quiet comfort in faith rather than easy answers. Above all, this is a deeply personal story about love, dignity, loss and the long goodbye that dementia so often brings, written in the hope that anyone walking a similar path will find understanding, comfort and companionship within its pages.