Honoring Carmine

Carmine Depiano 10-10-2014

I got the pleasure of first meeting Carmine and his wife at the annual Alzheimer’ walk this year at the Sparks Marina 2014. He was honored on stage and held a blue flower representing those who currently live with Alzheimer’s.

What is unique and beautiful about Carmine is that he is sharing his story openly. He is one of the 5 million American’s living with Alzheimer’s. Not only did Carmine speak openly in front of several hundred people that came out to do the Alzheimer’s walk he is letting me share his story and photograph him.

When he spoke on stage he made many cry. There wasn't a dry eye anywhere around as his words rang home to a lot of people sitting in the audience and I was one of them.

I asked Carmine’s wife if they would be interested in being featured on my blog. She said “Ask Carmine, I am sure he would do it.” When Carmine came off the stage, I asked him and he said yes. I gave him my card.

Not knowing if I would hear from him I was delighted when he called me a few days later to schedule our first interview at his house with him and his wife. He asked when I answered the call if I knew who is was. I said “Yes, Hi Carmine I know this is you”. He laughed. He wanted to make sure I knew it was him.



(Carmine Depiano talks on the phone during our interview.)

I came over to his house on a Friday after work. I was greeted by two large dogs named:  Blue & Rainy who were really good and beyond friendly.

We sat in the dining room at his house and I shared with them why I wanted to photograph him and share his story.

Carmine is a 68 year old gentleman. He was diagnosed February of 2014 with early on-set Alzheimer's. Him and his lovely wife Suzan have been married for over 40 years. They have two sons and two grand kids. They live on there own with no help or assistants. Suzan works part time at the Washoe County Jail as a dental assistant.

Carmine is a retired Vet from the Air force where he was a weapons loader.  He served over-seas in Germany.  After serving for his country for three years and seven months he was honorable discharged. He spent the rest of his working career in the Trucking industry working several aspects of the trucking industry from dispatcher to supervisor. Him and his wife came to Sparks, Nevada nine years ago and it is now where they reside and call home.

Carmine joined the Alzheimer's walk after he saw and ad on tv. He felt it was something he needed to become part of after learning of his diagnosis.

(Carmine with Blue & Rainy)

When asked how he dealt with the diagnosis the answer was surprising. It actually took doctors eight months to figure out what was happening. Carmine had been showing signs and symptoms. He remembers feeling very out of sorts. He made an appointment with the VA. It took them six months for him to get in for his first appt. He was first given a CT scan and that came back negative; however he had failed a cognitive test. So the doctor was leaning on other diagnosis's at that time.  Carmine kept insisting that something else was happening. He was than giving an MRI one month later and that was also negative. He than was sent in for a PET scan where they discovered he had plaque sitting on his brain. Thus being the beginning of the early on-set Alzheimer's diagnosis.  The doctors response to his diagnosis "Get some exercise and take these medications." No resources, no support groups, just as simple as here is your diagnosis and out you go.  And this is common with the VA. They do not cover a second opinion. A vet gets two doctors appointments a year and if they miss those appointments it takes months to get back in to see the doctor.

Carmine said he came home angry and mad.  "I was given a death sentence." and then he recalls a statement that rang true, "Well get over it we are all gone die."  He was the first to be diagnosed in his family.

Carmine still drives right now. He is okay on the wide open road, but has difficulty driving in town.  Because his wife works part time, she is not always there to help him. Her biggest worry is Carmine falling. Right now he falls about once a month.  Last year Carmine took a fall in June of 2013 that was so bad he broke his jaw, some teeth and his shoulder.

(Carmine and his wife Suzan)

Carmine does not feel that he is in denial about what is going to happen, he said he "gets mad and I think why me?' He loved to play golf, but can no longer play due to having back issues from the Air force being 70% disabled. He loved to fish at Lake Davis. As these activities might be out, he said he dose hope to travel a bit with his wife and go to a family reunion that is happening taking place April of 2015.  He can still read, and his favorite color is red.  He does get out of the house and walks every 3 to 4 miles, three days in a row and than takes a day off.  He repeats this cycle exercise at the Sparks Marina.  Right now Carmine also gets a lot of help from his wife and his son Cody.  The hardest thing for him right now is that he can not work. Both him and Suzan take one day at a time, but know that down the road it will only get harder.

Carmine & Suzan

Carmine said he decided to speak about his diagnosis because he has never spoken about himself and he is getting enjoyment knowing that it is helping someone out. And this would be why I titled this article/blog Honoring Carmine. For serving our country, and now for standing up and sharing his story, his life and his diagnosis with early on-set Alzheimer's. This is article one of a series Carmine and I are going to do through blogging and photography. I salute you Carmine, for your bravery is truly worn on your sleeve.