A Doodle a Day: Ten Year Doodle Journey by Nancy Carlson

In late fall 2012, author and illustrator Nancy Carlson heard two words from a neurologist that would rock the happy life she had created with her husband Barry McCool. Those words were Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), and Barry was just diagnosed with it.

What does an author and illustrator do when the family has no health insurance, is one rent check away from being homeless, has a husband swearing at her all day long, and the IRS breathing down her back? She keeps creating! Nancy continued to create children’s books, but she also created a blog called “Putting One Foot In Front of the Other,” which is all about their FTD journey. She also continued to draw and post a fun and inspirational doodle a day on her website and Facebook page.

Together, these small drawings create a visual journal and journey that allows Carlson the opportunity to express herself and celebrate life, while also learning how to manage the quickly growing needs of caring for her husband and preparing herself for his eventual death.

“This show is dedicated to the memory of my husband Barry McCool who died in November 2016. He was my biggest fan, and I know he would have loved this show of doodles.” – Nancy Carlson