A dementia diagnosis at just 58 saw Wendy Mitchell face up to a disease which threatened to steal all hope from the life she knew was still left to live.

This is the first memoir written by someone living with dementia.

Wendy Mitchell was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's at the age of 58 . But after a 20 year career in the NHS, based in York, this single mother of two adult daughters was not going to just give in.

This is her account, written with Anna Wharton, of how she determined to try and outsmart the challenges served up by the dementia on a daily basis. Every tiny victory was hard won. Every day is faced with courage and resourcefulness.

Four years on from the diagnosis, she still lives independently, spends more time than ever travelling throughout the UK to give talks, and continues to do whatever she can to change a society that views dementia as a death sentence. Her driving force is a compulsion to live in the moment, never knowing which version of herself - somebody she used to know - might greet her when she wakes each morning.

Written by Wendy Mitchell and Anna Wharton

Abridged by Amanda Hargreaves

Read by Tessa Gallagher

Produced by Lizzie Davies

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.