Help Kathleen Remain At Home

My name is Karen Bale. I am writing this letter on behalf of my dear friend Kathleen Duey, her husband Richard, and her son Garrett. Kathleen would hate asking anyone for help, but she would hate it more if she had to live in a facility surrounded by people she didn’t know.

Kathleen has been an author for over 35 years. She has helped and mentored so many people with their writing — young and old — and she loved passing on her knowledge to them. Besides her son and her husband, writing was her greatest joy. Now, Kathleen can no longer write. She requires assistance to perform everyday activities which previously required no thought at all. She cannot remember to brush her teeth, get dressed, or how to text. Her husband and son no longer leave her alone due to safety precautions.

Kathleen has been diagnosed with dementia, secondary to massive seizures she has suffered for years. She seemed unaffected at first, but as the seizures continued, she lost a little bit of herself each time. Initially, she was aware she was having trouble finding words, however, it quickly became evident that Kathleen wasn’t just having trouble speaking, she was having trouble with everything, especially writing.

There is a general misconception about writers. If you write books and are published most people assume you are wealthy. The truth is most writers like Kathleen are mid-list writers, writers that write, publish and get paid, but writers that continue to hustle to get work to make ends meet. And Kathleen hustled like no one I know. She wrote over 75 children’s, middle grade, young adult, and fantasy books. The first book in her trilogy entitled Skin Hunger, was nominated for a National Book Award 10 years ago. Her writing is succinct, visual, descriptive without being boring, and wonderfully entertaining.

Kathleen would want her many fellow writers to know how difficult it has been to leave the warmth and support of the community of writers she has cultivated over the years. She would also want her many fans to know how much she appreciated their positive comments and encouragement. She didn’t stop writing because she wanted to, she simply was unable to continue.

This amazing writer is having difficulty trying to recall even the simplest of words. Kathleen now requires assistance 24 hours a day. Richard and Garrett take turns staying with her but they both need to work and rest in order to keep Kathleen at home. They do not want to place her in a care facility, they just want to make enough money to keep Kathleen at home with them.

If you have ever been privileged enough to hear Kathleen speak to the hundreds of schoolchildren to whom she has visited, been in one of her seminars, been lucky enough to have had a manuscript edited by her, or have read one of her many books and been moved by her words, please consider giving whatever you can to help this remarkable woman remain in her home with her husband and son as this insidious disease continues to ravage her brain. Her once beautiful mind — although still beautiful to those who love her — has now become cluttered and confused, a mind that struggles to hold onto memories.

It is true that no amount is too small when you are trying to help someone. And it is also true that those small amounts can add up to help my friend and this wonderful writer, wife, and mother continue to live her life at home with the people who love her most. And if you could share this with as many people as possible the family would greatly appreciate it.

On behalf of Kathleen, Richard, and Garrett, I want to thank any of you who decide to help. You are literally helping to keep a family together.


Karen Bale