About
Hello. My name is Karen Stobbe. My Dad, Manfred died from Alzheimer’s disease. My Mom, Virginia, is living with Alzheimer’s disease. My life is not what I had ever imagined it to be and yet couldn't imagine it any other way. I have been sharing what I know, think and feel since my Dad's diagnosis. I have written a show about caregiving , a training program, consulted on a National Alzheimer's Association training program and was the co-developer for the Hand in Hand Training Program produced by CMS and distributed to every nursing home in the country. I have spoken to families and to doctors; a group of 12 and an audience of 1300; in a teeny town in Texas and in downtown Toronto. I know I have a unique perspective. I am very passionate about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The biggest compliment is someone saying to me, " Now, I get it. " I am honored to speak to others about my experiences and how to be with persons with Alzheimer's disease. If I am privileged to live long enough, I have a very big chance of developing Alzheimer's disease and part of what I am doing now, is actually a little self serving. I was born in Elmhurst, Illinois. I am the youngest of six kids and we span the actual Baby Boomer generation. I love the sound of water. I do not like beets. I love every kind of berry. And bell peppers are not my friend. If I lived alone I would turn into a dog and cat lady. Seriously, it would not be good. I am married to my best friend. His name is Mondy. He is a fabulous actor and a very funny improv comedian. According to my Mom, Mondy is the funniest, sweetest and best person who has ever walked the Earth. Most of the time I agree. We live in Black Mountain, NC with our daughter Grace, who is full of grace but not graceful and Mom Virginia who was actually born in West Virginia. We have a sweetheart of a beagle/blue tick hound mix named Ginger, a little mutt named Gus and now a puppy named Pixie. Mondy & I met performing a show together and we are still going strong. Mondy and I wrote and perform the two-person show: Sometimes Ya Gotta Laugh. I wrote the book by the same name, which is in its third printing. I developed a 6-week training program called In the Moment, which uses creativity, improvisation and theatre as training tools. It’s available for free on the web at www.in-themoment.com. Mondy is an accomplished actor starring in over 100 stage productions, many commercials, voice-overs, 4 films, industrial videos and improvisational shows. He is also an accomplished writer including 4 comic books and 7 plays. We really like being onstage together. We have a found a way to do what we love and bring what we know to each moment onstage. I have realized this is what I am supposed to be doing. |
My Go Fund Me Campaign
Here is a link to my campaign to raise funds to start a free website for families. It will include video clip of real life scenarios, tips, a Q&A page and more... Check it out and see our sample video. http://www.gofundme.com/beinginthemoment |