Tom Eckhardt

Love and Dementia,
Grief and Recovery

Love is the only memory one never loses.

—felix alexander, the romantic, 2014

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My Life with Judy

Tom met Judy, the love of his life, when she was seventy-three and he sixty. For eight years, they traveled the world from the United States and Europe to New Zealand, indulging in a relationship it had taken each of them a lifetime to find. Then Judy began struggling to speak the words hovering in her mind, and math that had once been a breeze became opaque and unretrievable. A neurological appointment confirmed the worst: Judy was beginning to experience dementia, “the cruelest disease.”

Love and Dementia, Grief and Recovery is a story of pain and resilience. Told through Judy’s journals and Tom’s meditations on his time as a caregiver, this candid, loving conversation on memory loss is a vital read for those who are looking for hope, camaraderie, strength, and faith in the face of dementia. This memoir is a love story to replenish the hearts of caregivers.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How is this book presented?

I think my loved one may have dementia. What are the next steps?

Where do I go for help?

Tips for living with someone with dementia

How is this book presented?

I think my loved one may have dementia. What are the next steps?

Where do I go for help?

Tips for living with someone with dementia

Reviews

“In a world that prizes thinking and producing above all else, those living with dementia and their caregivers often find they need to lean into the spiritual values of unconditional love, knowing every life has sacred dignity, joy even in the pain, and deep peace. This book is a beautiful testament to living out those values.”
—Nancy Loyd, MAT-certified spiritual director
“This is the story of Tom and Judy Eckhardt and their struggle with her dementia. It’s a cruel, uncompromising disease. But the book is uplifting. They faced dementia’s challenges with honesty and openness. They open a door to hope and grace that more somber assessments fail to see.”
—Chet Meyers, author of Hope in a Time of Loss.
“In a world that prizes thinking and producing above all else, those living with dementia and their caregivers often find they need to lean into the spiritual values of unconditional love, knowing every life has sacred dignity, joy even in the pain, and deep peace. This book is a beautiful testament to living out those values.”
—Nancy Loyd, MAT-certified spiritual director
“This is the story of Tom and Judy Eckhardt and their struggle with her dementia. It’s a cruel, uncompromising disease. But the book is uplifting. They faced dementia’s challenges with honesty and openness. They open a door to hope and grace that more somber assessments fail to see.”
—Chet Meyers, author of Hope in a Time of Loss.
“In a world that prizes thinking and producing above all else, those living with dementia and their caregivers often find they need to lean into the spiritual values of unconditional love, knowing every life has sacred dignity, joy even in the pain, and deep peace. This book is a beautiful testament to living out those values.”
—Nancy Loyd, MAT-certified spiritual director
“This is the story of Tom and Judy Eckhardt and their struggle with her dementia. It’s a cruel, uncompromising disease. But the book is uplifting. They faced dementia’s challenges with honesty and openness. They open a door to hope and grace that more somber assessments fail to see.”
—Chet Meyers, author of Hope in a Time of Loss.
“In a world that prizes thinking and producing above all else, those living with dementia and their caregivers often find they need to lean into the spiritual values of unconditional love, knowing every life has sacred dignity, joy even in the pain, and deep peace. This book is a beautiful testament to living out those values.”
—Nancy Loyd, MAT-certified spiritual director
“This is the story of Tom and Judy Eckhardt and their struggle with her dementia. It’s a cruel, uncompromising disease. But the book is uplifting. They faced dementia’s challenges with honesty and openness. They open a door to hope and grace that more somber assessments fail to see.”
—Chet Meyers, author of Hope in a Time of Loss.

Reviews

“In a world that prizes thinking and producing above all else, those living with dementia and their caregivers often find they need to lean into the spiritual values of unconditional love, knowing every life has sacred dignity, joy even in the pain, and deep peace. This book is a beautiful testament to living out those values.”
—Nancy Loyd, MAT-certified spiritual director
“This is the story of Tom and Judy Eckhardt and their struggle with her dementia. It’s a cruel, uncompromising disease. But the book is uplifting. They faced dementia’s challenges with honesty and openness. They open a door to hope and grace that more somber assessments fail to see.”
—Chet Meyers, author of Hope in a Time of Loss.
“In a world that prizes thinking and producing above all else, those living with dementia and their caregivers often find they need to lean into the spiritual values of unconditional love, knowing every life has sacred dignity, joy even in the pain, and deep peace. This book is a beautiful testament to living out those values.”
—Nancy Loyd, MAT-certified spiritual director
“This is the story of Tom and Judy Eckhardt and their struggle with her dementia. It’s a cruel, uncompromising disease. But the book is uplifting. They faced dementia’s challenges with honesty and openness. They open a door to hope and grace that more somber assessments fail to see.”
—Chet Meyers, author of Hope in a Time of Loss.
“In a world that prizes thinking and producing above all else, those living with dementia and their caregivers often find they need to lean into the spiritual values of unconditional love, knowing every life has sacred dignity, joy even in the pain, and deep peace. This book is a beautiful testament to living out those values.”
—Nancy Loyd, MAT-certified spiritual director
“This is the story of Tom and Judy Eckhardt and their struggle with her dementia. It’s a cruel, uncompromising disease. But the book is uplifting. They faced dementia’s challenges with honesty and openness. They open a door to hope and grace that more somber assessments fail to see.”
—Chet Meyers, author of Hope in a Time of Loss.
“In a world that prizes thinking and producing above all else, those living with dementia and their caregivers often find they need to lean into the spiritual values of unconditional love, knowing every life has sacred dignity, joy even in the pain, and deep peace. This book is a beautiful testament to living out those values.”
—Nancy Loyd, MAT-certified spiritual director
“This is the story of Tom and Judy Eckhardt and their struggle with her dementia. It’s a cruel, uncompromising disease. But the book is uplifting. They faced dementia’s challenges with honesty and openness. They open a door to hope and grace that more somber assessments fail to see.”
—Chet Meyers, author of Hope in a Time of Loss.

Reviews

“In a world that prizes thinking and producing above all else, those living with dementia and their caregivers often find they need to lean into the spiritual values of unconditional love, knowing every life has sacred dignity, joy even in the pain, and deep peace. This book is a beautiful testament to living out those values.”
—Nancy Loyd, MAT-certified spiritual director
“This is the story of Tom and Judy Eckhardt and their struggle with her dementia. It’s a cruel, uncompromising disease. But the book is uplifting. They faced dementia’s challenges with honesty and openness. They open a door to hope and grace that more somber assessments fail to see.”
—Chet Meyers, author of Hope in a Time of Loss.
“In a world that prizes thinking and producing above all else, those living with dementia and their caregivers often find they need to lean into the spiritual values of unconditional love, knowing every life has sacred dignity, joy even in the pain, and deep peace. This book is a beautiful testament to living out those values.”
—Nancy Loyd, MAT-certified spiritual director
“This is the story of Tom and Judy Eckhardt and their struggle with her dementia. It’s a cruel, uncompromising disease. But the book is uplifting. They faced dementia’s challenges with honesty and openness. They open a door to hope and grace that more somber assessments fail to see.”
—Chet Meyers, author of Hope in a Time of Loss.
“In a world that prizes thinking and producing above all else, those living with dementia and their caregivers often find they need to lean into the spiritual values of unconditional love, knowing every life has sacred dignity, joy even in the pain, and deep peace. This book is a beautiful testament to living out those values.”
—Nancy Loyd, MAT-certified spiritual director
“This is the story of Tom and Judy Eckhardt and their struggle with her dementia. It’s a cruel, uncompromising disease. But the book is uplifting. They faced dementia’s challenges with honesty and openness. They open a door to hope and grace that more somber assessments fail to see.”
—Chet Meyers, author of Hope in a Time of Loss.
“In a world that prizes thinking and producing above all else, those living with dementia and their caregivers often find they need to lean into the spiritual values of unconditional love, knowing every life has sacred dignity, joy even in the pain, and deep peace. This book is a beautiful testament to living out those values.”
—Nancy Loyd, MAT-certified spiritual director
“This is the story of Tom and Judy Eckhardt and their struggle with her dementia. It’s a cruel, uncompromising disease. But the book is uplifting. They faced dementia’s challenges with honesty and openness. They open a door to hope and grace that more somber assessments fail to see.”
—Chet Meyers, author of Hope in a Time of Loss.

See Inside

Meet Tom Eckhardt

Tom Eckhardt is a Chicago native and graduate of Northwestern University. Following a thirty-year career at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Tom continues to live in the Twin Cities, where he concentrates on his family and faith community, aging healthfully and socially with friends, and maintaining his own memories and love of Judy.

Contact

Please use the following form to contact Tom. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Tom Eckhardt

Tom Eckhardt

Love and Dementia,Grief and Recovery

Love and Dementia,Grief and Recovery

Love and Dementia,Grief and Recovery

My Life with Judy

Frequently Asked Questions

Reviews

Reviews

Reviews

See Inside

Meet Tom Eckhardt

Contact

Love and Dementia,
Grief and Recovery

Love and Dementia,
Grief and Recovery

Love and Dementia,
Grief and Recovery