With Gratitude, From Being Patient
At the end of a year of growth and loss, I want to thank you for the support, stories, and humanity that define Being Patient — and share what we’re building together next.
Dear readers,
I usually end the year by reflecting on what we’ve accomplished at Being Patient and offering a preview of what’s ahead. But as 2025 comes to a close, I want to pause and do something different: to thank you — our community — for the hundreds of messages, notes, and emails you sent after my mom’s passing. I have read each and every one of them.
When I founded Being Patient, it was meant to serve a global community impacted by dementia. What I didn’t fully understand then was how deeply that community would one day support me personally. Your kindness reminded me that Being Patient is a shared space built on empathy, honesty, and connection.
So many of you also shared your own experiences of losing a loved one to Alzheimer’s or another dementia. Some described moments that mirrored my own — how memories of who their loved one truly was came rushing back. Others wrote that, with time, the hardships of caregiving softened. I read every message. I can’t fully express how much they meant to me, or how much they helped carry me through a very difficult chapter.
Professionally, 2025 was a meaningful year. We launched a brand-new website that now covers all dementias, and later expanded to include Parkinson’s disease. We grew our education platform to 29 learning guides, launched the Journey to Diagnosis web and social media campaign—where so many of you bravely shared your stories — and watched it reach almost one million people through views, shares, and conversations. I was also honored to speak at two industry conferences this year, bringing your voices and stories to broader audiences.
Looking ahead to 2026, we’re preparing to launch Carey, Being Patient’s chatbot trained exclusively on our human-powered journalism to meet our high trust and editorial standards. Think about Carey as your own personal assistant, trained in our library of over eight years of journalism and expert interviews. We have the ability to get you answers to your most pressing questions quickly and with a high degree of accuracy. Sign up here if you would like to be among the first group to beta test. We welcome your feedback.
This year was productive, challenging, and deeply personal. As I step into the year ahead, I do so with gratitude — not only for the work we’ve done together, but for the community that has helped me learn how to navigate a world without my mom’s physical presence.
Thank you for being here. Wishing you all a Happy New Year.
With gratitude,
Deborah
