Determined to Get a Life: The Story Doesn't End with Dementia

by Ken Crassweller

Overview

In this candid story, this author asks one of life's essential questions: How do we go on when our hearts are broken? Book One of Determined to Get a Life tells the story of Ken and his wife Lesley, her journey through dementia and eventual death, and Ken's journey as her husband and caregiver. In Book Two, Ken confronts his grief and the tangle of questions he's left with after Lesley's death. With the knowledge that many elderly, bereaved spouses give up on life after the loss of their loved one, Ken is determined to find a way to go on. His path forward emerges as he regularly visits Spirit Island Park, a place he used to enjoy with Lesley. There, he engages with nature and people and rediscovers his will to live. Included in Book Two is a rich collection of short stories—some written by Lesley, some by Ken, and some by Ken and Lesley together—introducing a colourful cast of characters and exploring topics such as loneliness, illness, addiction, and spirituality.

At its core, Determined to Get a Life is a message of hope to anyone suffering darkness and despair in dementia's wake. With lucidity and strength of character, Ken sets out to prove that it's possible to connect once more with the beautiful world, to find peace, and live a purposeful life.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940160977867
Publisher:	FriesenPress
Publication date:	04/05/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	557 KB

About the Author

Ken Crassweller is a retired United Church of Canada minister and the author of six previous books: The Overturned Canoe (2004), Let Ookpiks Fly (2004), Here Comes the Bus (2004), The Power of Goose Island Park (2005), and Tools for Clergy (2006) with Trafford Publishing, and Peetakvik (2022) with FriesenPress.

He lived with his wife, Lesley, for sixty years. Together, they adopted three children, Andrew, Mark, and Marnie. After Lesley’s death from dementia on November 20th, 2021, Ken began writing Determined to Get a Life as a way of making sense of his grief and finding closure.

Ken lives in Glenshiel Independent Living Facility in Victoria, B.C.