WENDY Mitchell has passed away after bravely battling dementia for years and left a final message announcing her own death.
Wendy, 68, became a best-selling writer but was diagnosed with early onset dementia in July 2014, at the age of just 58.
Glen Minikin – The SunWendy Mitchell has died after battling dementia[/caption]
The author died aged 68Rex Features
In a posthumous post shared online, the author revealed how she had taken the decision to refuse to eat or drink anymore.
She wrote: “If you’re reading this, it means this has probably been posted by my daughters as I’ve sadly died.
“Sorry to break the news to you this way, but if I hadn’t, my inbox would eventually have been full of emails asking if I’m OK, which would have been hard for my daughters to answer…
“In the end I died simply by deciding not to eat or drink any more.
“The last cuppa tea…my final hug in a mug, the hardest thing to let go of, much harder than the food I never craved… This wasn’t decided on a whim of self pity as you’ll discover by reading on.
“Dementia is a cruel disease that plays tricks on your very existence. I’ve always been a glass half full person, trying to turn the negatives of life around and creating positives, because that’s how I cope.
“Well I suppose dementia was the ultimate challenge. Yes, dementia is a bummer, but oh what a life I’ve had playing games with this adversary of mine to try and stay one step ahead.
“I’ve been resilient throughout my life, even from a young child, so resilience is inbuilt in me to cope with whatever life throws my way.
“Who would have thought, when diagnosed all those years ago, that my life would turn out quite as it did? I’ve always liked to have a plan, something that makes me feel in control of dementia.”
Wendy was a volunteer for Alzheimer’s UK.
She was diagnosed with the disease in 2014 and became an ambassador for the charity.
At the time, she was working full-time for the NHS as a non clinical team leader.
She shared her philosophical outlook against adversity with others, writing the acclaimed 2018 memoir Somebody I Used To Know and 2022’s What I Wish I Knew About Dementia.
Her third book, Living With The End In Mind, is due to be published next week.
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