Lorraine Henegan was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1962. The youngest of six children, the rules did not apply to the baby of the family. Now spending most of her time with her Mom, Belle, Lorraine tends to her as she moves through the stages of Alzheimer’s.
Dancing With Belle is dedicated to her Mom. “Many times, Belle would say to her children, you should write a book about me,” says Lorraine. Lorraine took it seriously as her Mom’s Alzheimer’s progressed. Belle’s stories had to be told. For Lorraine, this could not possibly be the last dance with Belle.
Dancing With Belle (February 2021)
The story of “Dancing With Belle,” an exquisite memoir written by first-time author Lorraine Henegan, is about her devoted mother, Isabella. Isabella today is 88 and eight years into Alzheimer’s. Isabelle came from a sad life of extreme poverty, raising six children with nowhere to live and often no food to eat.
In Belle, Henegan’s writing style and voice shine in conveying her mother’s determination, the human spirit, and the power of motherhood and survival in the bleakest of times. “Belle” also details the progression of Alzheimer’s, its effect on Isabella’s cherished family, on life and the fading of treasured memories.
You will feel sad, happy, angry as Henegan is exquisite in recounting her mother’s life; it’s like being in the same room, watching, hoping and supporting Belle during hard times. You will cheer, “You got this, Belle,” as you live every moment with our Belle. How did one woman overcome? Henegan preserves Isabella’s story for the generations to come.