Medical Memories™ Personal Health Record was created out of necessity and for my own sanity. Every time I went to the doctor, I sat in the waiting room trying to remember all of the information I needed to fill out the forms and most important, my genetic family history.

I noticed others trying to do the same thing. I overheard a daughter shouting at her hard of hearing, aging mother, trying to get enough information to complete her forms. I also struggled to help my husband keep track of the multiple tests he was having and the different medications he was trying as various doctors were searching to find the cause of his recurring pain.

Faced with this overwhelming task, I knew that I needed something to record basic information for each of us, along with the ability to add to it as needed. It was then that I decided to call Athna May to see if she was interested in helping me create a "Medical Journal". She has spent the last 20 years taking care of her husband, who has had multiple major medical problems. I knew that she would make the perfect partner and this book would never have materialized without her.

When Sharon approached me with the idea of creating a "Medical Journal", the decision to become a part of the Medical Memories™ Personal Health Record project was a very easy one to make. I have been a caregiver for most of my adult life to many family members and friends and I knew there had to be a better system than what I was using to keep track of pertinent medical information.

When my husband was diagnosed with his first of many cancers and other life threatening health issues, the computer had become a household item. I was able to create lists of his surgeries, hospital stays, chemotherapy, medications, allergies and what worked and what did not. Having something small with "fill in the blank" pages that covered all scenarios and could be arranged accordingly would have been ideal.

With Sharon's business experience and my caregiving history, we have developed a personalized medical history record system to aid us in becoming the best health advocates for ourselves and for those that we take care of. We have come to believe that our lives and the lives of those that we love may depend on it.