Cheryl Crofoot Knapp Writes a Faith-Based Daughter's Memoir
Jun 13, 2023 7:55 pm
Hello ,
We’ve all had life-changing experiences. My first, and most impactful, happened when I was too young to have memory.
In 1956, I was diagnosed with spinal meningitis when I was two and a half years old. We lived in small-town Ohio where the undertaker doubled as the ambulance driver. I was rushed to the nearest large children’s hospital and put in isolation. Two other children were also hospitalized with the same infection. They died within days. As a last-ditch effort, doctors drilled three burr holes in my tiny skull to relieve pressure. (I can still feel the dents in my head, although now covered with bone.) Miraculously, I survived. I spent six weeks in the hospital gaining strength and learning to walk again. Doctors told my mom and dad I’d never be normal.
But, my mother was determined I would be absolutely normal. Although I have few memories of that time, as I grew, I recall we did flash cards every day without fail. She pumped me full of good garden-grown food. One vivid and recurring memory is being absolutely terrified to go back for regular checkups with the doctor, so my mom would bake banana bread with me and have me walk proudly into the office to deliver the bread to the doctor.
My illness fostered a strong faith within my parents. They begged God for my life and in return they grew a strong faith in me.
Every day of my life was viewed through an aura of….
Without faith, you might not have had an extra day beyond two and a half years.
God spared your life.
Therefore, for every day you live beyond that you must:
-be thankful to God,
- pay back
- and do good for others.
My parents’ dual diagnosis with Alzheimer’s and simultaneous decline rates right up there as my second life-changing experience. Because my parents saved my life and loved and cared for me, it became critical for me to make the best decisions for them through their disease process. I’m so thankful I found the comfort of AlzAuthors and the sisterhood and brotherhood we share on this journey along with other care partners.
At AlzAuthors we feature books written from all faiths worldwide, as well as no faith at all. All well-written personal experiences with Alzheimer’s and dementia are honored, lifted, and elevated for the good of caregivers, through our platform.
With that said, I’d like to share a faith-based, inspirational book that touched my heart recently. I’m honored to introduce you to Cheryl Crofoot Knapp and her memoir of taking care of both parents, Undefeated Innocence.
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Our Most Recent Author
Cheryl Crofoot Knapp shares her personal experience
with Alzheimer's disease in
Cheryl writes:
I barely understood Alzheimer’s the first time it staged assault on our family. It was an unwanted guest stealing my dad. My mom tried to handle everything on her own. She hid a psychiatric evaluation that revealed my dad failed the clock test, had a functional IQ of under 90, and needed immediate full-time care. Mom thought she could fix him. She couldn’t help my dad, her depression returned, and I made the difficult decision to place him immediately in a care facility.
...Two years later, the unwanted guest made a repeat performance with my mom in the lead role. She was still mobile and enjoyed being sociable, but she needed to move to a residential community that could provide care as the disease progressed. She loved to play cards (until she couldn’t remember how to play the games) and chat with her new girlfriends. A year later, my husband and I moved 800 miles from Minnesota to Arkansas to help her and become her legal guardians.
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Can you believe it’s been 8 years since Jean, Vicki, and Marianne first teamed up to promote each other’s books for an Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month campaign? What was supposed to be a one month partnership has blossomed into an incredible platform to connect authors of books about Alzheimer’s and dementia written from personal experience with overwhelmed caregivers looking for information and support.
In honor of our 8th anniversary, Christy Byrne Yates, MS has created a video sharing our story. We’ve got three great new designs from our Creative Director Kathryn Harrison in our shop for your T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, and other branded swag (below). And we’re raffling off a bag of books! Thanks for being a part of our journey. https://alzauthors.com/2023/06/06/alzauthors-celebrates-8-years/
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What a pleasure it was talking with John at Well Well about everything I’ve learned through 8 years of managing AlzAuthors. Through the books I’ve read and fostered into our collection, working with the authors, interviewing for the podcast, and hosting virtual panel discussions I’ve come away with a head full of knowledge. I’m grateful for the opportunity to share what I’ve learned with others. If it helps just one person, I’ve done my work. Follow the links below.
Amazon ~ Apple ~ Google ~ Spotify
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New Merch
We've got three new designs featuring our catch phrase, "Sharing our Stories Makes us Stronger." Our scripted logo is on the back of each item. All sales benefit our mission to provide quality vetted resources for caregivers on a dementia journey.
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Honoring Fathers for Father's Day
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Did you know AlzAuthors can create custom products to help you promote your book? Check out AlzAuthors Creations for more unique items and to learn about these beautiful custom keychains and so much more!
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Custom Caregiver Collections
-bring real books
-to real people
-in real places.
Twenty-six of these collections have gone out coast to coast!
Through this initiative, portable libraries can be customized from as few as 15 to 30 books or more.
These books provide welcoming support to
-care homes
-senior centers
-memory cafes
-physician’s offices
-university geriatric programs
-support groups
-memory cafes
-in-home care organizations
-personal, professional libraries
-and any places where seniors and caregivers gather.
Through Custom Caregiver Collections, AlzAuthors brings over 350 books out of cyber placing them in the hands of those too busy and overwhelmed to seek out books as a resource.
These portable libraries provide books written from personal experience to people where the need is the greatest – whether they are caregiving or living with dementia.
When placed together, these book collections take on a vibrant life of their own.
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Do you know our friend and fellow AlzAuthor, Patti LaFleur? Patti plays a prominent role on all social media through sharing her journey alongside her mom with mixed dementia.
All of Patti's posts, mostly done in video, convey compassion and honesty as she shares the way she brought joy to her mom each day as her carepartner. Patti was the former care partner for both of her parents before they passed and now continues to advocate for caregivers through sharing her story and changing the stigma around dementia.
This week, AlzAuthors is honored to share Patti's beautiful video review of In Search of Rainbows written by Susan Landeis.
Look for Patti’s thoughtful reviews of books she chooses from the AlzAuthors collection. She will be sharing fiction, non-fiction and has a special interest in Children’s Books because she was a former Kindergarten teacher. Be sure to check out her thoughtful book reviews on her socials.
Here are Patti's social links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carepatti
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misspatticake/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carepartnerpatti
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Carepartnerpatti/
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Your Management Team
L to R: Marianne Sciucco, Jean Lee, Vicki Tapia, Kathryn Harrison,
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