Living with Alzheimer's: How Professor Naomi Hadas Lidor Turned Diagnosis into Purpose

Speaking with Professor Naomi Hadas Lidor, it is hard to believe she is living with Alzheimer's disease. She is engaging, thoughtful, and remarkably articulate, with a sharp mind, a unique sense of humor, and a wealth of knowledge shaped by decades of professional experience.

Until less than a decade ago, Lidor headed Israel's mental health rehabilitation system, leading efforts to help people with mental illness successfully reintegrate into their communities. By every measure, she excelled in that role.

"Shortly after my seventieth birthday, I began feeling that something wasn't right," she recalls. "I noticed I was becoming slower, and everyday tasks that had once come naturally were suddenly much more difficult. I decided to get it checked, and that's when I was diagnosed with Alzheimer's."

How did you react to the diagnosis?

"I understood immediately what it meant," she says. "There was never a moment of denial. My first thought was very simple: if this is the path ahead of me, I can choose either to live or to die. I chose to live."

That decision changed everything.

"Once I made that choice, the rest followed naturally. I made dramatic changes in my life."

Those changes affected not only her personal life but also her professional career.

"My work changed completely. Instead of working with people coping with mental illness, I began working with people living with Alzheimer's. At first, I did it to better understand the disease and help myself. But over time, I realized it was also a way to help others, and that has become my mission."

Writing the Alzheimer's Journey

Professor Lidor does more than speak publicly about Alzheimer's. She writes about it, determined to raise awareness and challenge misconceptions.

"From the moment I was diagnosed, I knew I would never hide my illness," she says.

"The problem was that many people around me didn't know how to react. Some were afraid to even say the word 'Alzheimer's.' Others would literally cross the street to avoid meeting me."

Eventually, she found the best way to express her thoughts and experiences. "I realized that writing was the right path for me."

Over the past several years, she has published four books, all centered on living with Alzheimer's.

"I wrote my first book in a single night. I spent eight hours writing without stopping. It felt as though the book was writing itself."

She never imagined the impact it would have. "The response was immediate, deeply moving, and incredibly encouraging."

Who is the book intended for? Family members or patients themselves?

"Everyone," she answers. "Not only in Israel, but abroad as well." The book has been translated into English and has also found a wide international audience.

"I discovered that simply bringing the subject into the open helped so many people who had been afraid to talk about it."

She believes she has become a voice for a large community of people living with Alzheimer's.

"Through my writing, I'm saying to society: 'Look. These people are here. They're not hiding under the table.'"

She also believes the books are essential reading for healthcare professionals. "Sometimes professionals make the most painful mistakes."

She recalls giving one of her books to her physician. "She asked me who had written it. I pointed to my name on the cover, printed in large letters."

The doctor's response stunned her. 

"'That can't be possible,' she said." 

"In her mind, someone in my condition simply couldn't have written such a book."

In your opinion, what is the hardest part of living with Alzheimer's?

"From my experience," she says thoughtfully, "the greatest challenge is the secrecy."

Before her diagnosis, Alzheimer's was rarely discussed openly. "People hid the disease. They were ashamed of it."

She chose a different path.

"Right at the beginning of my first book, I wrote these words: 'One day will come when I will no longer be able to read or understand the words in this little book. One day, I will no longer recognize these pages, these words, or these sentences.'"

She says those words without fear.

"That has become my guiding principle. I want to change the way patients, families, society, and everyone connected to Alzheimer's think about the disease. We shouldn't be afraid. We simply need to start talking."

But even if we talk about it, the disease remains.

"That's true," she agrees. "Talking won't change the diagnosis."

"But when people stop being afraid, they'll ask questions. They'll start conversations. They'll give legitimacy to the experience, and life becomes easier for everyone."

She has these conversations openly with her children and even with her young grandchildren.

"Some of those conversations appear in my books, with my family's full permission. They're part of my Alzheimer's journey too. This is something our entire family experiences together."

Lessons from a Seven Year Old

One story about her grandson remains especially close to her heart.

"When he was seven years old, he once told me, 'Grandma, don't worry if you sometimes mix up "he" and "she." That's the illness. It's not you.'"

"That sentence taught me something profound. Children often understand things that adults struggle to grasp."

Her children and grandchildren continue to inspire her. "They bring me joy again and again. They are one of the greatest blessings in my life, and I have many blessings."

Learning to Live with Loss

Still, Professor Lidor does not ignore the reality of the disease.

"Before Alzheimer's, I held a very senior leadership position. People called me 'the queen of mental health rehabilitation.'"

"Now I'm not."

Despite continuing to write, teach, and create, she openly acknowledges the daily challenges. "I move more slowly. I struggle with spatial orientation and often need help."

Language presents its own difficulties. "I can still speak fluently, but many words simply disappear. People who don't know me may not notice, but those who knew me before recognize that this isn't how I used to speak."

She once lectured comfortably before audiences of four hundred people. "Today, when someone invites me to speak, I ask for small groups."

On the rare occasions she addresses larger audiences, her husband stands beside her, ready to help whenever she needs him.

Four Books, Four Perspectives

Her second book, A Journey Through the Mind and Heart, was written together with her sister.

"We wanted to describe what it's like to live through Alzheimer's as sisters."

She explains how the disease transformed their relationship. "For years, I was the older sister who led the way. Now the roles have reversed, and she is the one leading me."

Her third book, Collage, marked another shift. "It's a collection of stories."

She realized that her first books focused almost entirely on herself. "I wanted people to understand me, but I wasn't paying enough attention to those around me."

She began collecting the stories of family members, caregivers, and friends. "I wanted to understand what they were experiencing and reflect their feelings as well."

What message do you hope readers take away from your books?

"People often ask me what conclusions I've reached or what they should do," she says.

"My answer is that I don't know. I'm not a physician, and I never formally studied Alzheimer's, but I do know what it feels like to live with it. I can tell you what I experience and what the people around me experience. Take those insights and ask yourselves what should be done."

"And yes," she adds with a smile, "it's entirely possible that you won't have all the answers."

Between Darkness and Light

Her fourth book carries the title Between Darkness and Light.

"In this book, I write about the gifts I've discovered within this experience and the extraordinary people I have met along the way.

"I've met so many people who have brought goodness into my life. I've also rediscovered the best parts of myself."

Although she does not ignore the reality of the disease's progression, she refuses to define herself by it.

"Yes, Alzheimer's is progressing, and I cannot deny that. But alongside the decline, I also see tremendous growth. I continue to create, I continue to enjoy life, and to me, that is nothing short of remarkable."

Do you think about the future?

She pauses for a moment before answering.

"I often say there are two paths inside my mind. One path contains everything I can still do. I meet people. I give lectures. I write. I create. The other path focuses on researching the disease and searching for treatments."

Early after her diagnosis, she made a decision.

"My husband is a scientist. He's a chemist. He would devote himself to understanding the disease while I would devote myself to living."

At first, her husband immersed himself in research but eventually, he stepped back.

"Today, we both understand something very simple. All of us will die someday, whether we have Alzheimer's or not."

"So what truly matters? For me, it's far more important to focus on the strengths I still have and to continue making a positive difference in the world for as long as I can."

Do you ever ask yourself, 'Why me?'

"No," she answers without hesitation. "I see how much I'm still able to contribute. I'm proud of what I continue to do, even though, of course, I wish things had been different."

Then she shares something deeply personal.

"There are mornings when I wake up and simply begin to cry. I never used to cry, it just wasn't part of who I was. But now, those moments come."

She believes they happen in the quiet space between sleep and waking.

"Perhaps something in the soul is shaken during those moments in a way it has never been before. It has learned how to cry. 

"And perhaps," she says gently, "that's exactly what I need."

She smiles.

"And yes," she adds, "I'm proud of my tears too."