Catherine Armsden was raised in coastal Maine and educated in New England. In 1983, she moved to San Francisco with her husband, the late Lewis Butler, where they co-founded Butler Armsden Architects. Catherine was less active with the firm after 2000, eventually abandoning it altogether when she became possessed by an idea for a book, inspired by designing houses for her clients. Her novel Dream House was published in 2015. A diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease in 2009 and a new friendship provided the inspiration for her second book, An Alert, Well-Hydrated Artist in No Acute Distress, a memoir.
An Alert, Well-Hydrated Artist in No Acute Distress
Two Artists, a Singular Friendship, and a Six-State Quest for a Diagnosis
Hadley Ferguson and Catherine Armsden, a painter and a writer, have each spent years seeking a diagnosis for their troubling symptoms. When they are finally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, they meet in an online support group and quickly become long-distance friends. But for Hadley, the shared diagnosis is still not correct. She embarks on a traumatic, six-state odyssey that Catherine documents in vivid detail.
Part critical commentary on the American healthcare system and part primer on Parkinson's disease, An Alert, Well-Hydrated Artist in No Acute Distress tackles many topics beyond Hadley’s and Catherine’s personal experiences, such as the causes and treatment of Parkinson’s; navigating the doctor-patient relationship; so-called cognitive errors made in diagnosis; and the role of empathy in healthcare. This moving memoir will resonate with anyone who's had difficulty getting a diagnosis or lives with chronic disease, but will also inspire all readers with Hadley’s and Catherine’s ultimately victorious parallel quests to achieve the most fulfilling creative work of their careers.
“From diagnosis to deep brain stimulation, Catherine Armsden takes you on a powerful, insightful, and moving journey with Parkinson’s disease. An important read for those affected by the world’s fastest growing brain disease and a sign for us to be willing to confront what is in front of us.”
Ray Dorsey, MD, Professor of Neurology and author of Ending Parkinson's, Disease: a Prescription for Action
“Catherine Armsden’s wonderfully insightful book should be read by anyone who’s ever received a difficult diagnosis as well as anyone who’s delivered one. It’s the story of two remarkable women who live with neurodegenerative disease—their passion to persist and the deep and abiding friendship they share. Living with an incurable disease requires being clear eyed, but it also requires being compassionate about what you see. The same is true for the physicians who treat those conditions. The book is dedicated to those who don’t look away, and An Alert Well Hydrated Artist in No Acute Distress never does.”
Dave Iverson, journalist and author of Winter Stars: An Elderly Mother, an Aging Son, and Life’s Final Journey
“Catherine Armsden has written an exquisite memoir about herself, her friend, and the wider community of people with Parkinson’s disease. This is a book that has everything: medical mysteries, love stories, and fine art, and it is in equal measures scientifically engaging, emotionally powerful, and beautifully written.”
Sara Rigarre, PhD
“An Alert, Well-Hydrated Artist in No Acute Distress is a deeply felt, eye-opening book of muscular, vibrant literary prose about an equally vigorous disease that can be vivacious or ornery, and always inconsistent. With astonishingly good humor, Armsden offers an unblinking, often shockingly buoyant account of a very dark journey. Her story of a friendship forged from twinned illnesses is shot through with blazing, radical empathy. Prepare to be in the presence of something utterly new: a tale of profound advocacy.”
Laurie Fox, author of The Lost Girls and My Sister from the Black Lagoon
“Two unstoppable artists receive an unwanted visit from one confounding disease. What ensues is a graduate-level course on Parkinson's: the bizarre symptoms, the maddening struggle for a diagnosis, and a masterful rundown on the latest interventions, including deep brain stimulation surgery. Further, this book offers the most compelling evidence I’ve read on how the drive to create can be as powerful as the will to live. Armsden’s writing is lyrical, analytical, compassionate, and fearless.”
Carolyn Cooke, author of Amor and Psycho and Daughters of the Revolution