A Review of Reuben Kincaid Remembered
Like most teenage girls in the 1970s, I watched the television show, The Partridge Family. David Cassidy, who played the oldest son Keith, sure was cute! It turns out that I have something in common with another cast member, Dave Madden, who played the musical family's manager, Reuben Kincaid. Dave Madden had myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), which is what I have.
Reuben Kincaid Remembered: The Memoir of Dave Madden
Reuben Kincaid Remembered: The Memoir of Dave Madden by Dave and Sandra Madden was published originally in 2007 as Reuben on Wry. I first downloaded a copy on my tablet but later ordered a print copy when I learned that every purchase of this book would support the work of the MDS Foundation. I know firsthand of the excellent work the MDS Foundation does to educate those newly diagnosed with MDS.
The theme song lyrics by Wes Farrell and Diane Hildebrand tell the summary of the show.
Five of us and Mom working all day
We knew we could help her if our music would pay
Danny got Reuben to sell our song
And it really came together when Mom sang along1
Do you ever look at someone on television and wonder what you have in common? Maybe it's just me. When I'm channel surfing, and I see an episode of the Partridge Family or Alice (Dave played a high school basketball coach.), I stop and look at him. No, I don't have a crush on him. I wonder how we both acquired myelodysplastic syndromes.
What is MDS?
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of blood cancers that develop from immature red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets. A bone marrow transplant is the only cure.
The book is full of funny stories and some serious ones too. For example, Margaret Hamilton, who created the famous character of the Wicked Witch of the East in the movie, The Wizard of Oz, made several guest appearances as Reuben's stern mother, Clara. I guess I didn't recognize her as Clara because her face wasn't green.
The story of how Dave met his second wife is enjoyable. They had dated at the University of Miami in 1959. He was a twenty-seven-year-old Air Force Korean War veteran. She was a naive eighteen-year-old. They married other people; their marriages didn't work out. Forty years after going on their first date, they finally married in 1998.
Wife and caregiver
Dave and Sandra were living a good life until the "weakness" set in. Dave explained his falls by saying that he'd felt weak. Anemia became the new constant in his life. They discovered his anemia stemmed from a failure of his bone marrow, MDS. Sandra was not only Dave's wife but also his caretaker. She kept records of his health because Dave was not interested in being sick.
Sandra wrote the last chapter of this book. She told how a nurse or a doctor would recognize him as Reuben Kincaid, so Dave felt compelled to keep smiling and joking no matter how badly he felt. Dave entertained in every specialists' waiting room with more than two people waiting for their appointments. He had a gift for making people laugh.
December 17, 1931 - January 16, 2014
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