Wendy Mitchell Books In Order

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Wendy Mitchell was an English writer as well as activist.

She was born on January 31, 1956 and passed on February 22, 2024. She was born in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Wendy grew up in the pub her family owned and was a sportswoman during her school years. She was later a fell-walker in the Lake District.

She had two daughters that she raised on her own while working as a cleaner and later for the NHS in administrative roles. She was diagnosed with dementia and retired from being a rota manager at Leeds General Infirmary. She campaigned for workplaces to actively support employees who have been newly diagnosed with dementia.

At the time of her diagnosis at fifty-eight years old she was surprised by the lack of awareness about this disease in hospitals and in the community. Mitchell vowed that she would spend time raising awareness about dementia and showing others that there is life after receiving a diagnosis.

While retired, the author began writing and doing photography, capturing local wildlife in Walkington. She would contribute to different organizations and advised on ‘Casualty’, a BBC TV series, and the 2014 movie Still Alice. Mitchell also served as an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society.

She has raised funds for Dementia UK through annual challenges and ultimately chose to conclude her life through voluntarily stopping eating and drinking. This topic (VSED) was covered in her book One Last Thing. She was the author of three books and was sixty-eight years old at the time of her passing.

Somebody I Used to Know: A Memoir is a 2018 book by Wendy Mitchell. Whether you know someone who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, have been yourself, or are thankfully untouched by this affliction and don’t know anyone personally afflicted by it, there is no denying that Wendy’s story written in her own woods is one that is very emotional and honest. Fans of nonfiction will definitely want to check out this book where Wendy goes into the way that her life changed upon her diagnosis.

Not everything had gone perfectly in life for Wendy, but things were going well. She was busy working with the British National Health Service and has been occupied raising her two daughters on her own. She had a deep love for exercise and nature and would climb mountains on the weekends and go running.

Then a mist began to come inside of the mind that she thought that she knew so well and came to blur the world around her. Wendy had no idea at the time, but dementia was starting to come into her mind and take hold. She was fifty-eight years old in 2014 when she was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s.

Inside this book, the author shares the story of her own cognitive decline and describes how she did her best to fight it off. What would come after her diagnosis was scary and difficult to be known, but the author remained resourceful and determined. She vowed to herself that she would do better than the disease and outwit it for as long as she was able to.

Michelle is doing what she can to embrace the new life that she has found herself with. She gradually starts to see the condition not as a burden or a curse but as a gift. The silver lining is that it gives her the opportunity to go out into the world and to experience everything with a fresh set of eyes. She had the chance to find her own personal way that she could give back in the world and make a difference.

Throughout her journey, her optimistic and sunny outlook on life kept going. Mitchell continued to follow her new passion and to give her time to educating caregivers, doctors, and people living with dementia about the disease and doing her part to reduce the stigma around it.

Mitchell continues to live on her own. She now utilizes Post-It notes as well as technology to keep her aware and reminded of her routines. She also has a memory room where she puts photos that are labeled of her friends, daughters, and places that are special to her. She reported that it was a room that allowed her to feel happy and calm, especially on days where the disease affects her. Touching and important, check out Somebody I Used to Know: A Memoir to follow along with every word.

What I Wish People Knew About Dementia is a 2022 nonfiction book by Wendy Mitchell. This book continues where her first memoir left off and is part of her legacy of advocacy and activism when it comes to this insidious disease. For those who have been affected by it or those who would like to find out more, this is an important book to add to your bookshelf and that you can share with family, friends, and whoever you think may find it useful.

What is a diseased brain able to show us about what it is to be human? Can it inform us as to how we can better live our own lives? Can it assist people with dementia when it comes to getting the most out of their lives that they can?

As readers may know, the author was diagnosed with young-onset dementia when she was fifty-eight years old. The news came as a shock and at first her mind was swimming with images of the last stages of this disease, fed off what she had heard from the media, along the way, and from health professionals.

However, Wendy would find that despite this diagnosis, her life was far from over. It would instead be the beginning of a different one that still had its moments of joy and fulfillment.

Life-affirming and wise in so many ways, this book educates while also entertaining with anecdotes and informing with research. This is an informative guide for readers that tells them everything that Mitchell wants them to know about dementia while also reminding them that it is not the end of the world. Grab a copy of What I Wish People Knew About Dementia to see what she has to say.