April 2026 - An unexpected donation update, thank you to Pastor David, a new CLBDI book review, and more...

Hello, Lewy Warriors,

Welcome to May! We hope everybody had a wonderful April, a lovely Easter (if you celebrate), and that you are enjoying the return of more mild springtime weather. As always, it’s time for another monthly update. Although we didn’t get as much done in April as we had hoped, especially in regard to CLDBI, due to sudden and severe illnesses, we still have plenty to share (and more on the way). Let’s get to it!

Before we jump into our updates, we wanted to take a moment to say thank you to one of our (now former) Advisory Board members and wish them well on their future endeavours. Pastor David Malina has been an integral part of CLBDI since the early days of this project and was consistently a fantastic member of the team. His mission has called him to another part of the province and, as of today, he has stepped away from the board. We wish him all the best and are cheering him on. Thank you for everything, David.

In other news, we received an unexpected surprise in the form of an early donation total update! Even better? We've totally smashed our goal of $125,000 raised! WOW! Our liaisons at the University of Western Ontario contacted us to let us know that we have now reached a grand total of $141,562.75 raised for LBD research. AMAZING!

As mentioned in our original post, we are so grateful to EVERYONE who has been a part of the journey thus far. Whether you have donated your time, your money, or your energy, you are part of the fabric of this community and have helped us reach goals we didn't think were possible. We are forever grateful, inspired, and energized by your support.

Also, our second social media giveaway was a great success! We wanted to thank everybody who joined in and congratulate our winner, Emma, for taking home the prizes. This time, we gave away a CLBDI T-shirt, winter hat, and a Tim Hortons gift card. We hope to host another giveaway later in the year, so keep an eye on our social media accounts!

We also released our third instalment of the “CLBDI Reviews” series! This month, Carol read "Dancing In Small Spaces: One Couple's Journey With Parkinson's Disease And Lewy Body Dementia" by Leslie A. Davidson, and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

The review:

"This book should be read with a box of tissues nearby. It is well written, as Davidson (the wife and care partner of her late husband) is a published author. She and her late husband lived in British Columbia, so the book is geared toward Canadians, but many of the events that Davidson portrays apply to anyone who is a partner to a Loved One with diagnosed LBD anywhere in the world. As one review suggests, the book is written with love and fierce advocacy, and I wholeheartedly concur.

Many lessons were learned by both her and her late husband on their LBD journey. One major lesson is to “let others help” in large and small ways. Also, community is a must for ongoing support. Pride is not an option in seeking help, but advocacy and persistence are.

The author was also diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the same time her late husband was diagnosed with LBD, so Davidson carried a double burden. She did so with admirable grace and humour. Humour is a great antidote for those of us who made the LBD  journey with our Loved Ones. This book highlights the unfortunate fact that, since Canadian medical systems are mandated by provincial governments, the flow of information about this disease across our country is often hindered. It would be so much better if those who work with LBD patients (and their families) could also access information about LBD across the country with greater ease.

I recommend this book for anyone who wishes to know firsthand accounts of those who have experienced the LBD journey. Their stories are ones of compassion and courage!"

We are also happy to report that Carol is very close to finishing her new series of paintings for the upcoming CLBDI art show. This means that we are looking for other artists in the region and across the globe who would like to join us in raising money for and awareness about Lewy Body Dementia. If you would like to be a part of this upcoming art show, send us an email at [email protected]. You can also reach us through our website or social media. We will have more updates about the show for you very soon.

Speaking of updates, now that we’ve weathered the worst of our illnesses, we’ll be meeting to plan our next major events, including the new and improved Loonie Loops walk, and we’ll start finalizing everything. You can expect more information in next month’s blog post. Until then, you can stay up to date with all things CLBDI on our Facebook and Instagram accounts.

That’s all from us for this month. We hope you have a fantastic May. We will see you again soon.

Best,
​Joe