BARRY’S JOURNEY No. 7

flowers on head

Hanging out with Ed.

Barry has a pal who takes him out to lunch every Wednesday. We met Ed and his family when our boys ski-raced with his son. When Ed learned about Barry’s frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and our financial problems, he reached out.

I am pretty sure Barry looks forward to his lunch dates with Ed because he tries to get up that day — at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 and finally at 4:00 a.m. when I tell him that he can get up. Barry doesn’t say much during lunch, and Ed is fine with that. I have learned not to ask Barry about what is new with Ed because he doesn’t ask Ed anything about his life or what his kids are doing.

This is a very irritating thing about FTD. In fact, it was the first symptom I actually saw in Barry. I began to notice that when we went out with friends, Barry never asked about their kids or what was happening in their lives. I also noticed when he told people about our kids or our lives, it was always the same information — he added nothing new. However at that point, I didn’t suspect that anything was wrong.
light house
Now a few years later, Barry doesn’t know what to ask or what to talk about. But that’s okay because Ed is a good guy and doesn’t expect a deep conversation. And Barry enjoys getting out so much, he tries to get up and get ready all night.

Thank you, Ed, for showing so much grace to Barry — and for letting him order both a beer and a malt for lunch!

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7 comments on “BARRY’S JOURNEY No. 7
  1. So kind of Ed to take Barry for lunch. Seems as if Barry enjoys getting out even if he doesn’t show it outwardly. Thinking of you…

  2. Talla Skogmo says:

    God bless Ed!

  3. Pat Bauer says:

    I’m so glad that Barry has Ed. I love hearing about kind people. They’re the best people in the world!

  4. Bonnie Jean Flom says:

    Thanks for sharing Ed and Barry’s story, Nancy. I suspect there will be some invitations to lunch that transpire because of it. A great opportunity to pay it forward.

  5. Deb Cox says:

    Having something to look forward to is so important in life we need more Eds. Thanks for sharing Nancy.

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