2019 International LBD Conference: Susan Schneider Williams

The Caregiver Track of the conference highlighted people living with LBD and their experiences. This week, our guest blogger, Rosemary Dawson, tells us about one of these speakers.

Susan Schneider Williams, Robin Williams’ widow and probably the country's most high-profile LBD advocate, did an exceptional job during the welcome and round table. Her level of knowledge, amount of self-disclosure, vulnerability, and ability to articulate important points provided standout moments. Susan shared information about her Lewy journey with Robin that I hadn’t seen disclosed before.

Despite their wealth and number of specialists, they experienced what so many of us have been through. Increasing symptoms, no diagnosis, incorrect diagnoses, and incomplete diagnosis (PD). Robin never knew that he had LBD because it was only upon autopsy that they discovered what one LBD specialist described as the worst case of LBD he had ever seen as well as signs of Alzheimers. Mixed dementia is very common, but as with Robin, often not discovered until autopsy.

Also, in retrospect, it is apparent that Robin experienced many of the classic LBD symptoms: short term memory loss (inability to memorize his lines for his last film), hallucinations, paranoia, anxiety, parkinsonism, withdrawal, loss of executive functions, and more. He knew something was wrong and wanted to re-boot his brain. Because of his previous experiences with substance abuse and depression, some doctors misinterpreted his symptoms and prescribed drugs that can have adverse effects on people living with LBD. Although he had been drug-free for many years, he returned to a 12-step rehab program to see if the strategies there might help with his current condition. It didn’t.

After Robin Williams died in 2014, Susan set out to raise awareness about this little known yet devastating brain disease by telling about his exhaustive battle with LBD.
https://www.americanbrainfoundation.org/about-us/governance/susan-schneider-williams-bfa/
As spokesperson for Lewy Body Dementia, she is committed to raising awareness for brain disease. She has appeared on many talk shows and serves as the Vice Chair on the board of directors for the American Brain Foundation. In 2016, she moderated a 2016 Forbes Healthcare Summit panel, authored an editorial for Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology and received the American Brain Foundation's Commitment to Cures Award. Her Neurology editorial for “The Terrorist Inside my Husband’s Brain” is required reading in many medical schools and has been downloaded millions of times. You can read it at https://n.neurology.org/content/87/13/1308

Robin's Wish is a timely and urgent biographical documentary of the much beloved Robin Williams that weaves together the untold love story of his third marriage, his untimely suicide, his unknown illness and his universal experience moving through pain in the search for healing and joy. You can see excerpts from the film and read a full description here. (Note: the description calls Robin's disease rare. We know that although it is often unrecognized, it is far from rare! With 1.4 million people in the US alone, it is not rare. Rare is 20,000 or fewer.
https://www.documentaries.org/robins-wish

This film will have a first showing as a fund raiser in New York on July 17th. After that, Susan is not yet sure how it is going to be distributed - likely online - perhaps, iTunes, Amazon, or Netflix. https://lewybodyresourcecenter.org/robins-wish-lincoln-center/




Susan is opening a topic of discussion that needs more light shed on it: suicide. Lewy bodies can destroy the parts of the brain that control rational thought and decision making, and some drugs prescribed for the symptoms of LBD can cause suicidal ideation, suicidal behavior, and suicide-related events. I hope that Robin’s Wish provides a good understanding of these potential causes of suicide.


For more information about Lewy body disorders, read our books:
A Caregivers’ Guide to Lewy Body Dementia
Managing Cognitive Issues in Parkinson's and Lewy Body Dementia
Responsive Dementia Care: Fewer Behaviors Fewer Drugs
Riding A Roller Coaster with Lewy Body Dementia: A Manual for Staff

Helen and James Whitworth are not doctors, lawyers or social workers. As informed caregivers, they share the information here for educational purposes only. It should never be used instead of a professional's advice.