 What actually all started with some students from Fairfield University who were really encouraging the Alzheimer's Association to reach out and form a partnership. I'm reading an excerpt tonight from a short story that I've written. This is actually creative nonfiction. I'm gonna be reading a nonfiction essay called Dimension All Her Friends. Of prose and poetry nonfiction and it said in 1984 when I was 21 and Alzheimer's research was fairly new. How can Fairfield University partner with the Alzheimer's Association? One of the ways that came up very quickly was with the MFA creative writing program. There's talk of a new concentration with healing and writing as it relates to health and wellness. It's easier for me as a writer to fabricate metaphors and analogies than to describe the experience of losing my grandmother to the ravages of Alzheimer's disease. Not remembering what should be familiar reminds me of my father who was demented. I think that the health and healing through literacy program is important because naturally we're not people don't usually come forward with damaging and hurtful things from their past just on their own and to get sort of like to get to air that in a creative manner it helps people move on with their lives helps people you know come come to peace with things that have happened to them. This was the first time that my grandmother acknowledged that something was wrong and this was the last time I had a coherent conversation with her. I'm very excited to hear that there's a new concentration in the program that's going to really focus on helping people write through this very important and integral part of life. The steel grey water leached through her clothes linked liquid fingers circling her waist in a chilling embrace. I think the more we write about our truths related to health and healing the more opportunity we have to create health and healing. Fairfield University in my opinion is the heart and soul of the town of Fairfield and I think why so many people are attracted to being here and I think this creative writing piece is going to be an outlet for so many people in the community. The Fairfield University of the MFA and Creative Writing program has it has helped me accomplish my dreams. We clapped and sang and danced the small victory of joy. Thank you.