FAMILY

FAMILY
I fight for a cure for me & our amazing children❤️

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Update on my driving situation πŸš—

Today is June 8th - the day of my DMV hearing! This morning at 8am I waited patiently for the DMV folks to call me. To my delight I had the most wonderful and kind and friendly person on the other end of the phone😊 I'm not sure what I expected but I didn't expect to be speaking to someone who was so happy, friendly and very easy to talk to!

We went through the paperwork that was filled out by my neurologist (Dr. Sachdeva) and Ms. Williams reiterated what had been stated earlier when I met with Dr. Sachdeva on April 27th.  

Dr. Sachdeva noted that I was stable with my diagnosis of early stage AD, that I had cognitive impairment and short term memory issues. She also mentioned in her notes that I was OK to drive as long as the DMV cleared me. She stated that I was very capable! And that my issues/symptoms were mild.

The hearing took about an hour and we continued to talk about my symptoms and the option of getting a provisional license. Ms. Williams was very kind and sweet and she shared with me that her mother is currently living with Alzheimer's. I don't think it's a coincident that she was selected to interview me!

She agreed that I should be able to take the written test and the driving test, and that the DMV will make a final decision after that is completed. She has already signed me up for an appointment in Pleasanton near Stoneridge Mall. I'm very comfortable with that community and I'm hopeful that I will be able to drive againπŸš—

In the mean time I will be able to drive after Ms. Williams sends me a provisional license! The only stipulation is I need to have a licensed driver in the car with me. I know my friends that are local will be happy to drive with me, especially as I'm doing trial runs for the DMV behind the wheel test on June 30th. I know my family will help out and will test me daily about the DMV written test and hopefully my brain can hold all the correct answers in my headπŸ™  

If I'm not able to pass the written test I will know for sure that my time driving is over. I will be OK with that. I will have done everything I could to continue to drive and I will be thankful that we have so many options for car services, Lyft, Uber and Onward.

So that's my update on the driving situation! I am also very excited about the Biogen announcement that came out yesterday. The last time an Alzheimer's drug was approved by the FDA was in 2003. Aducanumab has been given accelerated approval status. According to Biogen the drug given once a month through an IV begins to dissolve the amyloid beta plaques. I will sit tight and see what's next for me. Maybe I will be able to get the drug, maybe not. There are still so many more hurdles to jump.

There is a lot of controversy about this so I will continue to have hope and to speak of the importance of hope for all the caregivers and for those of us living with Alzheimer's and other dementias. When I was interviewed with ABC I talked about hope and the importance of me having more time! I started crying when I talked about our seven grandchildren and how important it is for me to be in their lives. 


Thank you all for your support and for your generosity to help us find a cure. I am in awe of your kindness and love. I see it every day either in person, in text or online. My husband and Kristen have been so helpful for me these past few months and are cheering me on! So have my dear friends - THANK YOUπŸ’œ I will keep fighting until I can't.

I'm sending love, hugs, blessings and prayers to all of youπŸ™Œ




4 comments:

  1. Congrats, Pam! WOO HOO!

    MS Williams was wonderful, even though I gave up my license she was so compassionate as a result of our discussions.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I started on COPD Herbal treatment from Ultimate Life Clinic, the treatment worked incredibly for my lungs condition. I used the herbal treatment for almost 4 months, it reversed my COPD. My severe shortness of breath, dry cough, chest tightness gradually disappeared. Reach Ultimate Life Clinic via their WEBSITE www.ultimatelifeclinic.com . I can breath much better and It feels comfortable!

    ReplyDelete