Toni Wombaker, local Alzheimer advocate, appears on Oprah Winfrey Network

A longtime advocate for Alzheimer’s and resident of Pahrump was on the TD Jakes show with Maria Shriver talking about her experiences taking care of her mother, who passed away some six months ago.

The show aired on Oct. 26.

On the show titled “The Healing Power of Love,” Wombaker was able to share her journey and talk about what it was like to care for a loved one with the disease.

“The focus was to have an intimate conversation about Alzheimer’s disease,” Wombaker said. “It was super surreal, emotional, and it all happened so fast. The TD Jakes show on the OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) channel reached out to me through my YouTube videos.”

Wombaker is a hit on Youtube with a series of videos. One of her videos titled, “The Seven Stages of Alzheimer’s” has over 500,000 views and that’s how she was found by the TD Jakes show.

Wombaker said it wasn’t a hard decision to do the show but it wasn’t cut and dried either.

“I had already made plans to go to Tonopah for the week, but they wanted to fly me to Burbank, California on that Wednesday, film on Thursday, and fly me home that evening. I told the show of my plans to go visit my grandma in Tonopah but that I would speak with my husband about it.”

Wombaker received a text from her family 10 minutes after talking to the TD Jakes show, saying that she really didn’t need to be in Tonopah until Friday.

“So, I decided God was making it clear I should go. I called them and told them I would be willing to go. It was really a crazy whirlwind.”

On the show she told the audience about her journey and one could tell she was reliving the experience of taking care of her mother on national TV. At times it was hard for her to speak. Many people in the audience had to wipe away tears as Wombaker told them how her mother forgot her name, forgot how to shower, brush her teeth, dress and finally how to use the bathroom.

“She forgot everything, but the love was always there,” Wombaker told TD Jakes. “I know she knows I loved her and I am doing OK because of that.”

What is next for Wombaker now that her mother has passed?

Now that her mother is gone Wombaker grieves quietly.

“I think I put on a happy face a lot, but my heart aches and I miss my mom terribly,” she said. “It has been just over five months and it seems like yesterday that she was here.”

As she tries to focus on other projects, she says she feels a little lost.

“I don’t know where I belong,” Wombaker said. “I was a teacher before this journey began and I still hold an elementary teaching certificate, but I don’t feel 100 percent that is where I belong and until I do, I won’t return to the classroom.”

She said she needs a little time to figure things out and just because her mother is gone doesn’t mean that she will stop raising awareness on Alzheimer’s.

“I still have a strong desire to raise awareness and educate the public about this disease, but there aren’t a lot of avenues for that,” Wombaker said. “My videos have been my avenue and will continue being viewed. This makes me feel like I am doing something. It helps. I plan to get back to the local support group and add to that, but again I just am taking some time.”

Is there a book coming out of her experiences?

“I have always dreamed of writing a book,” she said. “However, when I think about it I feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin. I feel I have a lot to share, but I am not sure if a book is the avenue.”

One would think that with so many people suffering from this disease that Wombaker could make a career out of raising awareness for Alzheimer’s, but she said if there were avenues she would pursue them. The problem is there are a lot of avenues to donate her time and few for getting paid for it.

“I want to help others on this journey, but at the end of the day, I have to consider the fact that I have four children in school and all four have plans to attend college,” Wombaker said. “I have to think of my future and retirement years also. I do want to volunteer locally. I have been wanting to go over to Pahrump Rehabilitation and Inspirations Senior Living, but I don’t think I am quite ready emotionally yet. It has been on my heart to volunteer, but I have been keeping myself almost too busy.”

At this point, Wombaker said there is nothing in the works as far as a career in this field for her, but she is open to all possibilities.

Contact reporter Vern Hee at vhee@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes