𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞 $𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲.

CBS News calls Barry Petersen one of its most experienced correspondents in a network news career spanning more than four decades. Petersen and his wife, Jan, also a journalist, lived around the world. Petersen covered some of the worst conflicts our generation has seen, while his wife anchored their daily lives. They both expected many more years of fabulous adventures. Then one diagnosis instantly ended it all: at age 55, Jan was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Jan’s Story follows their complex, sometimes sad, sometimes joyful, journey of survival. Jan was alive but no longer remembered her husband of 20 years. Petersen met a woman—herself a widow—who understood his grief and the pain of loss. Together Petersen and Mary Nell created a “family of three,” including and caring for Jan.

Petersen writes about friends who condemned their relationship, and others who understood and supported their love, including Jan’s mother who encouraged the need to survive. His book is intensely personal, making clear that the only way to beat Alzheimer’s is for those left behind to go on with—and celebrate—life.