In our latest, LONG OVERDUE episode, Don Priess and I talk with memoirist Suzy McNamara , author of The Silkworm, The Magician, and The Sister Tree: A Tale of Love and Loss. (WARNING: You may fall head over heels for this amazing woman!) Suzy is an author, poet, mother of four, fundraiser, lawyer, and widow. In 2024, after caring for Bob McNamara for five years in their home, she lost her husband of thirty-seven years to early-onset Alzheimer’s. Months earlier, her sister and lifelong best friend, Elizabeth Muslin  died unexpectedly from acute lung disease. Suzy believes grief is a lonely sport and survival depends on community, shared language, and the courage to name what is often left unsaid. In The Silkworm, the Magician, and the Sister Tree: A Tale of Love and Loss, she honestly and lovingly shares her heartbreaking journey for readers as they navigate their own losses and search for hope and joy.We get specific about early onset Alzheimer’s, posterior cortical atrophy, caregiver loneliness, and how honest storytelling can protect dignity instead of exploiting pain. As Suzy says, " I found ways to survive, and my hope is that my memoir will encourage and accompany those on their own journey of grief and trauma."We discuss:• back to back losses and how grief changes your identity• caregiver isolation and the way friendships can fade• the “silkworm” cocoon as protection from a harsh outside world• “the magician” as the love that stays when Alzheimer’s frays connection• the sister tree ritual and building community through shared loss• posterior cortical atrophy symptoms like vision and number confusion• guilt during caregiving and guilt after death when joy returns• journaling as a coping tool and a path to writing a memoir• deciding what to share publicly without turning it into trauma pornIf you know Alzheimer’s caregiving up close, this one will feel like being understood. Subscribe, share this with a caregiver who needs it, and leave a review so more families can find these stories.Love Conquers Alz,SusiePlease check out the Roar movement. We are looking for volunteers, state chapter leaders as well as tax-deductible donations. Share, share, shareSend us Fan MailIf someone you love experienced neglect in a nursing home…Then you know how desperately the system needs to change.  History has shown us that It takes people power to change anything worthwhile. That’s why we we’re launching something that’s never been done before. On September 27, communities across the country are coming together for the first-ever National Long-Term Care Reform Day.This is a peaceful national walk for dignity, accountability, and change in long-term care.We’rSupport the showNo Country For Old People; a Nursing Home Exposé is STREAMING NOW on Amazon Prime (https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0F7D1RR5X/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r) Visit the No Country For Old People Website for more information.Please watch. Review. Share.Be a ROAR-ior!! JOIN THE R.O.A.R. MOVEMENT (Respect, Oversight, Advocacy, Reform) for quality long term care! Visit the ROAR 4 LTC Website On September 27, 2026, 34 communities I'm 30 states across the nation participated in the 1st ever ROAR 2026 National Walk for Long-Term Care Reform and launched the the inaugural National National Long-Term Care Day. Found out more here: https://www.roar4ltc.org/roar-2026-walkFollow us on Twitter, FB, IG, & TiK Tok 💜 Listen on your favorite platform 💜 If you like what you hear leave us some love.  💜