"This Has to Be a Good Day"

Don Ø — the nickname for Flemming Østergaard, the former chairman of FC København — is 82 years old. He has been one of Denmark's most visible businessmen and sports figures, and he has spent the last four years as a full-time caregiver for his wife Inge, who has Alzheimer's. Speaking with host Morten Messerschmidt in his home in Vejby, Østergaard describes a life that has narrowed dramatically: from traveling 150 days a year and running major organizations to a daily routine structured entirely around his wife's needs. "It's hard," he says flatly. "But I look at myself in the mirror and look at my grim face and say, 'This has to be a good day.' I try to get the best out of every single day, or I'll be an idiot."

The Reality of a Slow Deterioration

Inge was diagnosed four years ago, after she began having trouble remembering practical things. Østergaard describes the disease as one that affects not just the patient but the whole family. "It's a family disease," he says, "and it's a disease that I don't want anyone else to experience — because it's terrible to see one's memory change so dramatically."