Scratch My Itch: A Caregiver's Honest, Humorous, and Healing Stories about the Horrors of ALS

Scratch My Itch: A Caregiver's Honest, Humorous, and Healing Stories about the Horrors of ALS

There is clearly a right and wrong shade of lipstick for a person in a casket. The revolving door of home health aides is like a very bad version of the TV show The Bachelor . And an ALS diagnosis makes scratching an itch feel as futile as putting in contact lenses while wearing mittens. In this book, Cyndy Mamalian shares engaging stories about lessons learned and the resilience and humor she discovered in caring for her mother who had ALS, while also sharing with the reader the frustrations and horrors of this disease. In searching for evidence that there is indeed a heaven, Mamalian details the surprising gift of Diana Ross’s music and the comfort in knowing her mother has found her corner of the sky. Mamalian’s authentic and uncomfortably honest story is equal parts love letter, confession, and comedy and is good company for anyone who has loved and cared for another person. Cyndy Mamalian is a PhD criminologist, storyteller and writer, and mother of three. After a brief career writing federal grant solicitations and research reports in the field of criminal justice, she redirected her love of writing to memoir after spending three years living with and caring for her mother. Mamalian is a development director at a private Episcopal school and lives in Potomac, Maryland, with her husband. For more information visit www.cyndymamalian.com.