Wendy Larry last went to Knoxville, Tenn., to see her friend Pat Summitt a few years ago, before early-onset Alzheimer's had truly begun to rob Summitt of a lifetime of memories.
Summitt had already stepped down as the women's basketball coach at Tennessee after announcing she had a form of Alzheimer's that not only attacks the brain, but basic bodily functions, such as swallowing food.
At the time, "Pat was still very much functioning. She was still able to drive," said Larry, who nonetheless acknowledges some hesitance before she accepted Summitt's offer to drive her to a Lady Vols' practice.