Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s Courage

My father and Sandra Day O’Connor happen to have many moments in common.  My father and Sandra both grew up in the deserts of Arizona.  They both practiced law in Phoenix.  Indeed, they even shared the same birthday, although my father was a few years older and passed away in 2017.  They socialized in the same circles and their spouses were friends with each other as well.  

Now they share one more event, and that is the personal experience of dementia.  My father, who had already stepped down as a federal judge at the district court level before he was diagnosed, never really accepted the diagnosis.  I think the disease sometimes robs the individual of understanding.  I admire Justice O’Connor and her family for the public announcement they made this week, disclosing her diagnosis of dementia, most likely of an Alzheimer’s type.  

All best wishes, to the whole O’Connor family.   As one news story reminds us, there are an estimated 5.7 million Americans with Alzheimer’s Disease and almost two-thirds of them are women.