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 The Last Dance
Facing Alzheimer's with Love & Laughter
by Ann McLane Kuster with Susan McLane
• A positive approach to dealing with Alzheimer's
• Foreword by David Broder, The Washington Post
The Last Dance is the McLane family's story about learning to "swim in the deep end of the lake" when the woman they all love best, their matriarch, Susan 'Susie' McLane, slips away, one day at a time, to Alzheimer's disease. Currently in New Hampshire, twenty thousand people have Alzheimer's, touching the lives of families all across the state. Susan has led a public life, serving those families for twenty-five years in the New Hampshire Legislature.
In The Last Dance the McLane family shares their unique experiences with their mother's illness through tales of "Christmas Nighties" and "The Old Man of the Mountain." Susie and her family's story will open your heart and mind to a new approach to facing aging and Alzheimer's disease with grace and courage, love and laughter.
Praise for The Last Dance
"Through her exemplary life in politics and public service, Susan McLane has taught us so much. She stood firmly for her convictions and called things the way she saw them. In The Last Dance, her grace and courage teach us new lessons as she and her family face the challenge of Alzheimer's." -- Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.S. Senator
"A powerful reminder that caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease may be difficult and stressful, but can be a deeply gratifying experience, as well. I highly recommend The Last Dance to anyone who is caring for a family member with Alzheimer's. It should be required reading for health care professionals who work with people with the disease, or their families. I have read a great many personal accounts of Alzheimer's, and this is one of the very best." -- Robert B. Santulli, M.D., Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Chair, Medical Advisory Council, Alzheimer's Association of Vermont & New Hampshire
"The Last Dance is a help to me in facing the uncertain future. I will be much better prepared to take care of my wife should she be afflicted, or she, care of me!" -- Lowell Thomas, Jr., Anchorage, Alaska
"The Last Dance is a testament to Susan's optimism and commitment to others, providing hope to families who are coping with aging and Alzheimer's disease, and inspiration to women interested in making the world a better place by becoming involved in politics." -- Kate Michelman, President NARAL, Washington, D.C.
"The Last Dance is a love story...I cannot imagine anyone finishing this book without a sense of gratitude for what Annie and Susan and all their family have allowed the readers to share. Like their hospitality, it warms your heart and lifts your spirit." -- David S. Broder, The Washington Post
About the authors
Ann McLane Kuster began writing The Last Dance as the world's longest email for friends and relatives. Her mother Susan McLane had made many wonderful connections over her twenty-five years in the NH State Legislature. The friendships forged while fighting "the good fight" and advocating for the families and environment of New Hampshire, continue to this day. Susan is still recognized where ever she goes.
ISBN 1-931807-29-9, Memoir/Health, Paper, 224 pgs, $15
Contact Information
Visit the Web Site at www.thelastdance.org
National Book Network
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