Daddy kissed his wife of 54 years goodbye today. He said it was hard to let go of her and yet he too was relieved for her release. To those who have loved her and loved me or my family, I feel your support and your presence. Even those I have never met and may never meet.we feel the collective blanket you are offering and we will wrap ourselves up in it and feel safe. Our family thanks you for your prayers, thoughts and outpouring of love.

My mother's legacy of change is thriving. There is much needed healing and help being offered in her name through Leeza's Place. She always had the door open and the coffee on with plenty of time to sit and talk. That was our inspiration behind our free services for caregivers dealing with any kind of chronic illness. Mom has been emancipated from the prison of her confused mind now. She is free from the thief known as Alzheimer's disease that broke into our lives and stole her from us.

Like millions of other families who bravely battle this insidious disease, we are dedicated to creating a world where memory loss no longer threatens the rewrite the story of our lives. Through our work at Leeza's Place we are blessed to have created a nationwide caregiver community that is becoming better education, more empowered and energized to face their struggles. I want to thank all those who have offered thoughts, prayers and support. You've wrapped us in a safe blanket of love as we grieve for Gloria Jean Gibbons.

We'd like to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation or your local Alzheimer's Association chapter in honor of Jean Gibbons' powerful and inspirational life. For more information, please visit www.leezasplace.org.

The Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation can be reached by calling 1-888-OK-LEEZA and is located at 3050 Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 605 in Miami, Florida 33137.

05/15/08

I was so excited to see one of the "rock stars" in the neuroscience field at Leeza's Place recently, Dr. Murali Doraiswamy, author of a fantastic book called "The Alzheimer's Family Action Plan". Our care advocate, Stefanie Elkins introduced Dr. Doraiswamy to the crowd of Alzheimer’s patients, caregivers, family members and community leaders including John Anderson from Congressman Brad Sherman's office who presented Dr. Doraiswamy with a Congressional commendation.

I hope you will take a moment to click on my Empowerment Entourage page (CLICK HERE) to read a Q & A excerpt from the book. It was an amazing evening and we are so grateful to Dr. Doraiswamy for his intelligent, warm and often humorous remarks!

05/07/08

Congratulations to all the winners of the TV Academy’s 1st Annual “Academy Honors TV with a Conscience” event. There were some incredible honorees recognized for their creative efforts to raise awareness and create change including the recipient to which I had the honor of presenting “Pictures of Hollis Woods”. Since so much of my work is in the world of memory, this one really hit home. It stars Sissy Spacek as a mentor, art teacher and foster parent to a young girl who has been bounced around the system and finally finds a home with Spacek only to discover that the retired teacher is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease forcing this young foster child to become a caregiver. It was a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie and really is a beautiful effort. I presented the award at the Beverly Hills Hotel to its producer Dan Paulsen.

The event was hosted by Lisa Ling and was a really fun night. In my view, David E. Kelly stole the show with his acceptance speech for Boston Legal. I’m telling you, in my opinion, the man can do no wrong. He is brilliant, funny, cute, charming and humble. Congratulations to all the honorees!

 

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