Additional information
by Dylan Weiss (Author), Abigail Walouke (Artist)
"Traveling Our Road" was originally written by Dylan Weiss (also known as Gail Neustadt) as a private hand-collated piece to explain to her grandchildren what was happening to their grandfather, Dylan's husband, Dave. At first it was the slightest of symptoms--a near-fall, stumbling over a name, a gift of wilted flowers. Then, as such things do, the symptoms became more worrisome. Dave forgot where he was going--or what he was doing. He got lost. He got scared. Dylan, being a therapist, recognized the symptoms and got him to the doctors. The diagnoses was what she feared -- Alzheimer's.
Dylan and Dave's road changed course immediately and dramatically. And throughout Dave's long decline, their grandchildren had to cope with what was happening. When Dave eventually died, Dylan focused on many things to both help her and her family through the transitions--but also to help others. The result is a series of young readers focusing on the environment. However, the little handmade book that she created for her young grandchildren when it was all happening called to her from its folder on her hard drive.
Finding the exact artist to turn "Traveling Our Road" into the beautiful book of Dylan's dreams took time. However, when she found young Ohio State Graduate, Abigail Walouke, Dylan knew immediately that this girl--at the beginning of her career as a professional artist was the one person she'd been looking for. Their collaboration resulted in this sensitive piece that acknowledges decline and loss but ends with a new beginning. The circle of life--and love.
