Cleveland and I met in 1993, in Whittier, California where we both relocated for career advancement. The meeting was through a mutual friend who wanted me to assist Cleveland in starting his own business. We developed SAC Distributors, Inc., starting in a bedroom in his apartment successfully advancing to a warehouse with 7 employees over a ten year period. Interestingly, out of the ordinary, it was in fact his business, incorporated with him as CEO/President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. I suppose we sort of clicked due to diverse backgrounds; but both thinking outside the box. His success was based on the one advice he took from me….as a small minority business, strive to be number two, less competition, less noticeable, while competitors are competing to be number one. We became BFFs, working together but with independence and individual careers. I retired from the United States Federal Government, after working as a Special Agent for several Inspector Generals. I retired from NASA’s Office of Inspector General in 2003 as Director of Administrative Investigations, managing employees at 11 Space Centers.

On the spur of the moment we decided to visit Las Vegas in late March, something we did many times. However, during this trip, Cleveland decided we should get married while sitting at a slot machine, playing ten cent keno at the El Cortez Casino. I said, “ok, why not? “. We left the casino, walked down to the Justice of The Peace and applied for a marriage license. There was a 24 hour wait; we returned to the Fitzgerald Casino where we were staying. We walked backed to the JP the following day, got married with the Administrative Law Judge married and witnessed the proceedings. We walked back to the El Cortez Casino, got two hot dogs and played more keno. Returning home a day later we realized we’d gotten married on April 1….April Fool’s Day. After retiring we relocated to North Las Vegas, Nevada in August 2004.

Just to have fun, we signed up to work various conventions, where we met numerous, awesome individuals. In 2009, Cleveland worked at the Rio Casino during a renovation period. He worked the evening shift, with several friends who had worked conversations. Always waiting up for him, he’d call me when he was near home, as he arrived around 11:30pm, I’d open the garage door for him. After about six months on the job, I noticed he always carried a day timer and journalized very detail of his day at work. Oftentimes, his notations were too detailed and not significant for the job. Additionally, although he got off from work at the same time, he was frustrated after arriving home later and later. Normally, he’d drive into the garage with a huge smile. He got many accolades and his employer loved him. However, he called me one night and said that he had gotten fired. I said, “fine, come on home.” Arriving home he was kind of confused and again much later. The very next day, Cleveland wanted to apply for unemployment and was determined to do so. We applied and he began getting benefits weekly, which we split and used to play keno at the Fiesta Casino. After several months of receiving unemployment, he was given notice of scheduling a telephone interview with the unemployment office. Thereafter, his benefits stopped, was denied and he was ordered to repay all of the funds he’d received.

Cleveland demanded getting an attorney and we did; meeting with him several times, reiterating what occurred in his termination, paying the lawyer handsomely, we went to court. He was called into the mediation first. After about an hour, I was called into the hearing. The hearing officer questioned me but, I noticed the lawyers never commented me. The meeting ended, Cleveland, his lawyer and I walked outside of the building. The lawyer commented, stating, “Well, Mr. Johnson really threw me for a loop in there.” I asked him what did he mean? He commented that when they put Cleveland under oath, he said that he couldn’t lie under oath and stated that he had called his boss the day he said he was fired and told him to fire him so he could get unemployment. Cleveland did not make any comments. We drove home in silence.

Thereafter, he began making angry, unrealistic comments and having illusions of me having an affair with the unemployment hearing officer. That’s when it became aware to me that something was wrong because everything that was occurring was so unlike him. At that point our son came down and two dear friends to help me figure out what was going on. We unsuccessfully went to numerous completely incompetent neurologists, psychologists and psychiatrists. Their questioning and testing had all of us thinking we too had cognitive brain disorders.

Finally, looking at Dr. Oz one afternoon, when he was interviewing a Neurologist from UCLA regarding research in Alzheimer’s disease. I contacted UCLA until I reached the office of Dr. Bernice. I left a message with him regarding my husband in an effort to get an appointment to take Cleveland there for treatment. I unbelievably received a message from that office, advising me that Dr. Bernick suggested I make arrangements to take Cleveland to Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Nevada. I contacted them, was given an appointment and advised to get a PET Scan before our visit and bring the disc with us to our appointment. Cleveland was diagnosed in 2009 of ALZ. He was one of Cleveland Clinics first patients and has remained with them since that initial visit. In our experience there is an extreme difference in a Neurologist and a Neurologist For Brain Health. Do your research for your loved ones. ALZ is anyone’s disease,but it’s an individual journey. The journey is what you make of it, I always see the glass half full.