Alzheimers doesnt cloud Michigan womans love for opera singing [Video]

WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI — Lauren Wagner once sang before thousands in full auditoriums around the world, but the 70-year-old now shares her love of music within the walls of her senior living home near Saline.

The former opera singer from Ann Arbor had an extensive career, primarily throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, traveling the world for recitals, operas, festivals and competitions.

She performed at well-known venues like the Seattle Opera, Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera House and collected numerous awards and accolades over the years.

But, in 2019, Wagner was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, an irreversible and progressive brain disorder that affects a person’s memory, thinking skills and ability to carry out simple tasks.

Despite this, Wagner continues to share her voice with others in the memory care wing of StoryPoint Saline. Her husband, Geoffrey Jacquez, witnesses that firsthand.

“When she sings, it just lightens people up,” he …