I hope enough awareness is brought to Lewy Body Dementia to change the way society relates to psychological vs. neurological disease so it breaks down the stereotypes showing it's one in the same and without neurological illness you can't have psychological illness. I wand this to show everyone who lost even a sliver of respect for Robin to gain it back and then some for all he dealt with. It's absolutely amazing what diagnosis can do for the people who are desperate for answers as to why we feel like we've been chasing our tails looking for what and why changes are happening all the while thee symptoms are getting worse and worse. To put words to what it feels like can be impossible with so many things happening at once and it's changing all the time. And when you go through test after test and all are coming back normal it can be such a let down because maybe it is "me". Maybe I am going crazy or it's all in my head, so to speak. Symptoms can be incredibly personal and embarrassing so we become shrouded in secrecy unwilling to share this one or that one and be unable to find the words for the other ones. What a lonely and isolating feeling of being trapped. My dad had dementia and I moved him in and cared for him alone. They thought it was Lewy Bodies, and I wonder if they were right.
I don't know who isn't a huge fan of Robin Williams. My heart broke fore his wife and children when I heard he had no other escape but suicide. We have Susan to thank for her strength within such a scary transition as his symptoms grew. This was a true love story. That glimmer in his eyes when he looked at her was something even we can feel in pictures and videos.
I really hope this brings in millions of viewers who can learn about this, for doctors to keep looking for the right diagnosis, we don't go see you because we missed you. If someone is asking for help, and he was, all the time apparently, take a step back and look at the big picture and never feel like you shouldn't talk about it. It's not shameful, needing help mentally, physically, or spiritually should be front and center because it needs to take priority or it might end up in overdose, suicide, homicide. The toll this must have taken on Robin and the people that truly love him, Susan especially, and his kids, it's devastating to think he never got the actual answer for this. The peace that would have brought him. At least what was happening would have a name and other people have had it too so there's information and connections out there.
So Susan doing advocacy work for this disease is so important to her healing in knowing she's carrying forward the legacy that was inscribed in the front of his big book for AA.