Old Man Lunch.org
by Mark Vallet, Matt Allen, Brad Nilles
In October of 2023, Matt Allen, one of my oldest and closest friends was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 55. He was given eight years, but life expectancy can range from three to 20 years with Alzheimer’s. When a doctor puts a timeframe on someone’s life, it tends to bring things into focus, which is how Old Man Lunch was born. Your hosts, Mark Vallet (me), Matt Allen, and Brad Nilles, decided they needed to spend more time together, have some fun, and make some memories while Matt’s disease progresses. Our goal is to provide a deep look into how Alzheimer’s impacts Matt's life as well as his family, friends, wife, and children. We want to talk about the daily challenges, frustrations, and believe it or not, freedoms (Matt’s words), that Alzheimer’s has brought into his life However, this is not just a podcast about Alzheimer’s, we will be covering several topics as well as simply talking about our lives, and what is going o
Episodes
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My Anal Fistula
This is round two of the card question prompts when Matt and I were on the Powder Highway. We talk about a variety of things ranging from spending the day as a woman or dog to the zipper related scar on Matt’s penis, and his bout of anal fistula so buckle up, it gets pretty gross. Don't expect a...
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Old Man Lunch Hits the Powder Highway
Matt and I toured the Powder Highway in Canada in February. We had a great time, skied four resorts, and knocked out a day of CAT skiing in B.C. It took out We had planned on doing a bit of recording while we were gone but only managed a couple of hours as apparently, we are older than we think....
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Old Man Lunch Goes to Moab or Purgatory is a Strong Word
A couple of weeks ago Old Man Lunch went to Moab with some friends from Dubuque who came out to visit. We visited Arches National Park, Canyonlands NP, and Dead Horse State Park. Fucking gorgeous, we hiked a bit, took a bunch of photos, and almost ran out of gas in the middle of a national park.…
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It's Raining Gifts or Lucy the Wonder Dog
In this episode, we talk about Lucy the Wonder Dog, Matt's constant companion, who brings him a ton of comfort when the anxiety gets bad. We also discuss how Matt's journaling with a work colleague helps him work through issues related to his diagnosis and other life events. We talk about the...
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A Million Little Cuts
As we launch this podcast, we wanted to give everyone a starting point for where Matt is at in the disease. Today, we will talk about events leading up to Matt's diagnosis, and the deficits he experiences on a daily basis, as well as discuss situations where Matt no longer feels as comfortable as...
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Matt and Mark Tiny Houses - We Have No Control
According to Matt, Alzheimer’s has brought him some new clarity regarding how much control we have in this world, and the answer is zero. Just because Matt has Alzheimer’s, it doesn’t mean we will all be present for his funeral. Death could come for any one of us at any time, and there are...
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The Tiny House Tapes: I Feel Free
The Tiny House Tapes are short recordings, edited from a much longer and very boozy recording, covering a somewhat specific topic related to Alzheimer’s. This is Volume One - I Feel Free Matt's diagnosis has brought certain freedoms and benefits into his life. Awareness of his mortality has led…
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Old Man Lunch: Episode 1: What Old Man Lunch is all about
Old Man Lunch is a podcast about three old friends, the twist is that one of us, Matt Allen, was recently diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's at 55. Our goal is to provide a deep look into how Alzheimer’s impacts Matt's life as well as his family, friends, wife, and children. We want to talk...
About this show
In October of 2023, Matt Allen, one of my oldest and closest friends was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 55. He was given eight years, but life expectancy can range from three to 20 years with Alzheimer’s.
When a doctor puts a timeframe on someone’s life, it tends to bring things into focus, which is how Old Man Lunch was born. Your hosts, Mark Vallet (me), Matt Allen, and Brad Nilles, decided they needed to spend more time together, have some fun, and make some memories while Matt’s disease progresses.
Our goal is to provide a deep look into how Alzheimer’s impacts Matt's life as well as his family, friends, wife, and children. We want to talk about the daily challenges, frustrations, and believe it or not, freedoms (Matt’s words), that Alzheimer’s has brought into his life
However, this is not just a podcast about Alzheimer’s, we will be covering several topics as well as simply talking about our lives, and what is going o
Hosted by
Mark Vallet, Matt Allen, Brad Nilles