Freedom 55? The so-called “Golden Years”? What if you are slowly losing your memories and your motor skills? Or what if you are the devastated witness as your partner struggles with dementia? Lewy Body Disease is a form of dementia second only to Alzheimer’s in numbers, yet many doctors and almost no lay people have ever heard its name. This is the story of two courageous people, Julie and Ken Sobol, life partners as well as writing partners. Caught up in the frightening and fatal fog of Lewy Body Disease, they started writing this book together. As Ken’s disease progresses and his voice dwindles, Julie continues the narration, sharing her sadness, frustration, and attempts to find the best care for her husband. Their chronicling of the ravages wrought by LBD is intelligent, insightful, enlightening, and often humorous. It is—at heart—a love story.

Julie Macfie Sobol and Ken Sobol moved with their three children from the US to Canada in 1973. Julie, a musician and painter, has works displayed in homes in Canada, the U.S., and England. As Ken’s neurological illness worsened, the couple was forced to find new ways to live and write together. Ken died in 2010. Julie, now a grandmother of six, continues to make her home in Toronto.

Julie Macfie Sobol's profile page

Ken Sobol moved with his wife Julie Sobol and their three children from the United States to Canada in 1973, where Ken continued his Emmy-winning tv writing career. Ken authored several children’s books, and Julie and Ken began writing together in the 1980s. As the symptoms of Ken’s neurological illness deepened, the couple was forced to find new ways to live and write together. Ken died in 2010.

Ken Sobol's profile page

With clarity and honesty, in a bold and intimate voice, the voice of Julie-and-Ken, this couple’s memoir certainly does raise awareness of LBD but, above all, it is a love story

Buried in Print

If you have ever cared for someone you loved, as they were dying, or if you have aging parents who now need your care and assistance, or if you have accepted that you may be dealing with some of these difficulties yourself, Love and Forgetting is a good guide.

Bookshelf Reviews

It’s sheer grace under pressure. …There’s nothing maudlin; it’s written to edify readers, not provide catharsis for the writers. Its qualities are dignity and respect- for everyone, for life.

Toronto Star