Maintaining Control

Alice is desperate to control her life after her diagnosis. She hates that she loses the ability to go places and to function on her own. She develops several ways to help get through her days, including many to-do lists. She also depends heavily on her BlackBerry to remind her of upcoming events. Dr. Davis points out that Alice, as a highly intelligent woman, finds ways to answer questions even when she doesn't remember the answer, and the BlackBerry is one example of this effort.

An important example of this theme is seen in Alice's decision to commit suicide. She visits a local nursing home's Alzheimer's unit and observes several patients with advanced Alzheimer's. She decides that she can't face living like that and decides she will commit suicide before she reaches that stage. She sets up the “Butterfly Test” as a means of reminding...