Former Rye Resident & Actress Talks @ Dementia at Library Wednesday

Former Rye resident and actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley shares the story of her mother’s diagnosis with early-onset dementia in this tribute to the fragile yet unbreakable bonds we have with our mothers this Wednesday evening from 8pm – 10pm at the Rye Free Reading Room. The story ischronicled in her book WHERE THE LIGHT GETS IN: Losing My Mother Only to Find Her Again.

“Heartbreaking but never sentimental, Williams-Paisley’s book offers an intimate look at a family’s struggle with a life-altering disease. It is also a daughter’s tribute to the mother whose disease offered her a new opportunity to ‘love unconditionally…and practice being comfortable with…[the] uncomfortable.’ A simply told, moving memoir.” —KIRKUS REVIEWS

Many know Kimberly Williams-Paisley as the bride in the beloved Steve Martin remakes of the Father of the Bride movies, her many film and television roles, or the wife of country music artist Brad Paisley. But, until recently, Kim was dealing with a tragic secret: her mother, Linda, was suffering from a rare form of dementia that slowly crippled her ability to talk, write, and eventually recognize people in her own family.

Now, with Where the Light Gets In: Losing My Mother Only to Find Her Again (Crown Archetype, April 5, 2016, Foreword by Michael J. Fox), Kim is sharing the full story of Linda’s illness—called primary progressive aphasia—from her mother’s early-onset diagnosis at the age of sixty-two to the present day. With honesty and vulnerability, Kim opens up about the ways her family reacted to the disease for better and worse: the heartbreak of long-distance caregiving; how she, her father, and two siblings educated themselves, tried to let go of shame and secrecy, made mistakes, and found unexpected humor and grace in the midst of suffering.

Kimberly Williams-Paisley is an actress, writer, and advocate for dementia research and caregivers. She and her husband live in Tennessee with their two sons and two dogs. This is her first book.