Dementia diagnosis sparks new book

When her mother Kay was diagnosed with dementia, Christine Brown wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.

Christine and her older sister, Stephanie, decided to pack up their lives and embark on a 17,500km, two-year road trip around Australia with Kay.

They began their adventure in 2021 with Kay and Stephanie towing a caravan and Christine driving a coaster bus.

It was on this journey The Travelling Brown Girls were born, and inspired Christine to start writing her fourth book, The Dementia Diary: Because Love Matters.

“My book is a diary of a journey together; one beautifully talented mother, one crazy artistic daughter, one quirky creative daughter, a few cuddly toys and some strays we met along the way,” Christine says.

“In this book I write about our experience with mum’s dementia and the ways we dealt with it in an ever-changing world.

“I also explain that dementia doesn’t define who our mother is – it’s just a small part of her life.

“It’s more about a celebration of her, and everything we love about her, because love matters.”

Christine says her mum began to lose her memory after the love of her life passed away in 2008.

“At first, we thought she was just being forgetful, but it became increasingly noticeable as time passed,” Christine says.

“Then, when my brother passed after suffering from a brief illness, mum’s dementia advanced rapidly.

“She couldn’t connect the dots with how she was feeling to the reason why she was feeling it. She couldn’t understand that she was grieving but knew something was very wrong.

“It was heartbreaking to see her go through this, and Stephanie and I both knew we wanted to do something special, not just for her, but also for us, so we could have some lovely memories and photographs to look back on and remember the happier times.

“We wanted to give mum adventures, love and happiness while she could still enjoy it all.”

While readers will enjoy many of the adventures the three women had, Christine says her book can also be a resource to help others.

“Dementia is a death sentence – sadly mum, and many others, will die from this horrible disease,” Christine says.

“In the book you will find 10 things we learnt about dementia including acceptance, patience, language, the importance of being in the moment, physical changes, comprehension, behaviour, family, laughter, and love – all of which can be applied to other people who are also experiencing this horrible disease, either themselves or a loved one.”

While they travelled to lots of beautiful towns and cities, Christine says highlights of the trip were when “the three of us were together chatting”.

“I loved it when we were sitting together having a cuppa and just laughing like we always did,” Christine says.

“We were always coming up with ridiculous accents, stories and antics to keep the laughter coming.

“My mum has always been the most gorgeous and talented person I have ever known, so I always told her she was the president of something I made up called The Gorgeous Club.

“She was always so surprised and shocked, never believing she could be president.

“She had a wonderful life – she loved being on stage and performing.

“But she also had a lot of heartbreak.

“It’s sad to think all of those memories from her life are just gone.”

Both Christine and her mum now live on Bribie Island, and sadly Kay’s memory has worsened.

“Mum doesn’t know who I am anymore,” Christine says.

“I miss her and the beautiful relationship we had.

“But I am happy and grateful that I can share our story with others.

“I launched the book earlier this year with special guest Ita Buttrose, who is an ambassador for Alzheimer’s Australia.

“I hope one day this book will be made into either a mini-series or a movie – that is one of my goals.”

To find out more about Christine, and to purchase her book, visit her website. 

To see more photos, click through the gallery below.

Kay’s incredible life

Born in Perth in 1934, Kay spent her early years dancing and singing.

She met Colin when she was 14, and they married when she was 21.

They had four children and in the 1970s the family moved to Darwin where Kay soon became involved in the performing arts scene.

When Cyclone Tracy decimated Darwin in 1974, Kay’s youngest child Geraldine was killed. She was eight.

Kay and her younger children Anthony and Christine were evacuated to Perth and returned to Darwin in June 1975. For the next few years, they lived in tents and caravans until a new home was built.

Kay once again immersed herself in theatre and became a star of the stage, known for her exceptional acting and singing. She continued to grace the stage into her 80s.