Samantha Wright and her husband Wendell met at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. They graduated, married, had two boys, and built a great life together in Falls Church, V.A. – a beautiful love story. But, as you can imagine being that this story is on the Alzheimer’s Association blog, their happily ever after looks much different today than they could have ever imagined or seen coming. While now different, their love story is still beautiful.
Wendell was diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 56. However, Samantha could see some subtle signs even three years prior; small changes in his personality and behavior patterns. “I noticed he was having a harder time with his work, but he continued to receive excellent feedback from his employer, so I didn’t think much of it,” remembers Samantha. “It wasn’t until he was forced to work from home during the Covid-19 pandemic that his struggles became more apparent, and he found it much harder to pivot to this new mode of working. I was helping him with his written communication and as I looked at his writing, I realized that his writing had become very hard to follow.”
With no family history of dementia, and after almost a year of trying to get answers, a neurologist finally confirmed what the results of a PET scan showed – younger-onset Alzheimer’s. “You could feel all of our future dreams being crushed as we heard the doctor say that Wendell had Alzheimer’s,” said Samantha. “My grandmother had dementia at 80 years old so I always thought this was something you could experience at a much older age. I never expected it could happen so young!”
Wendell was otherwise healthy, and they immediately started looking at treatment options. With their boys – one starting college, the other starting his first job out of college – Samantha and Wendell decided to fast-forward their retirement plans.
They had dreamed about retiring to New Bern, N.C. where their best friends already lived, and to be closer to Samantha’s family in Wilmington. Wendell wanted to plan and build their home alongside his friend, a building contractor. While they originally thought this would happen further down the road, they decided to go ahead and make the move so that Wendell could live out his dream while he was still able.
They sold their home of 25 years and moved to New Bern in 2022. Wendell and his best friend started working on the house plans, but Wendell’s Alzheimer’s progressed faster than they expected. While the house building continues to move forward, Wendell’s participation in the process is not as significant as he once dreamed.
Samantha is his full-time caregiver and works full-time from home. She has help a few times a week but also finds solace in teaching a group fitness and yoga class at a nearby gym. They also adopted a lab mix rescue dog they named CiCi. She is a great emotional support for Samantha and Wendell and seems to know when extra comfort is needed.
“Being a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer’s or any other dementia can feel very lonely,” said Samantha. “You must be their brain, their advocate. And the process of navigating disability and treatments on top of planning for the future, while taking care of someone. It’s a lot and none of it is made easy.”
One of the best pieces of advice that Samantha received was to hire a financial advisor and lawyer. “For anyone on this journey, this was by far the most valuable guidance I received early on in his diagnosis. Alzheimer’s can take a financial toll pretty quickly but having a financial advisor and lawyer that can help you navigate this side of the disease will pay off tremendously. You can’t do it all and building a team early on will help you long-term.”
Samantha also recommends getting involved with a support group and learning as much as you can through programs offered through the Alzheimer’s Association. “It can be hard to leave your home when you are a caregiver, but there are so many virtual options for learning and support groups now,” said Samantha. I still participate in the support group I originally joined while still in V.A. We meet monthly online and it’s a lifeline for me.”
Samantha also serves as an advocate for the Alzheimer’s Association and shares her story with lawmakers to help encourage more support for caregivers. “I’ve been able to meet so many wonderful people who are at different stages of this journey. It’s inspiring, helpful, and impactful in so many ways.”
This is Samantha and Wendell’s second year participating in Walk to End Alzheimer’s – New Bern. At the October 19 event, both will have a special role in the opening ceremony before the start of the Walk. Wendell will represent the blue flower (someone living with dementia) and Samantha will represent the yellow flower (someone who is supporting or caring for someone living with dementia) during the Promise Garden Ceremony, which is an impactful part of every Walk to End Alzheimer’s event. It’s an interactive experience where participants raise their respective color pinwheel flowers to represent their commitment to supporting people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. The Promise Garden is a place of reflection, hope, and solidarity, and it helps to visualize the impact of Alzheimer’s on individuals and families.
“Every day I strive to keep life as normal as possible for Wendell. Keep him engaged as much as possible. I want each day to be bountiful and for him to have a sense of purpose,” shared Samantha. “As the things he once loved to do start to fade away, I look for other things that can keep him engaged. The house we are getting ready to move into looks a little different than what we had initially planned because we made amendments to ensure it was safe and comfortable for Wendell.”
While their empty-nest years don’t look like they thought they would, Samantha is committed to helping her husband have a quality life and see his dreams come to fruition, even if he doesn’t remember what those dreams were. We take it day by day, but we make the most of each of those days.
LIKE SAMANTHA, WE ALL HAVE A REASON TO FIGHT FOR A WORLD WITHOUT ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE. Join your local Walk to End Alzheimer’s today as an individual, team, or sponsor.
The Alzheimer’s Association hosts 17 walks across North Carolina. The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Since 1989, the Alzheimer’s Association® mobilized millions of Americans in the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk®; now the Alzheimer’s Association is continuing to lead the way with Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Together, we can end Alzheimer’s.
| Alamance County | 9/28/2024 |
| Asheville | 10/5/2024 |
| Charlotte | 10/19/2024 |
| Fayetteville | 10/26/2024 |
| Gaston/Cleveland/Lincoln | 10/5/2024 |
| Guilford County | 10/5/2024 |
| Henderson County | 9/21/2024 |
| Iredell Co. & Lake Norman | 9/21/2024 |
| Jacksonville | 9/28/2024 |
| Moore County | 9/14/2024 |
| Mount Airy | 9/14/2024 |
| New Bern | 10/19/2024 |
| Rowan-Cabarrus | 9/21/2024 |
| Unifour | 10/26/2024 |
| Triangle (Raleigh-Durham) | 10/5/2024 |
| Wilmington | 11/2/2024 |
| Winston-Salem | 11/2/2024 |
Alzheimer's Association North Carolina Blog 
One thought on “I am his wife, his caregiver and his brain”