Two years ago, my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and a year ago, she died because of it. It wasn’t until then that I became familiar with this disease that took over my grandma and caused a great pain in my family.
To this day, I still question why there hasn’t been a cure or why there is such a thing. Many people believe it is something that just comes with age, but it is not. There is way more to it. Just like cancer, it can be random and latch onto anyone it can get.
Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and mental functions, such as the simplest tasks we do in our everyday life. This disease is ranked the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the U.S. National Institute on Aging.
On Wednesday, we have a chance to bring awareness to this disease by wearing purple in observance of World Alzheimer’s Day.
To this day, scientists study the complex changes the brain goes through during Alzheimer’s. Changes in the brain can begin a decade before symptoms start to appear, which is why I suggest getting tested whenever you have the chance.
This will give you more time to create memories, not only for you but also for your family to hold onto. It will also give you a chance to take medication to try to prevent it from getting severe and, most importantly, to give your family time to prepare and heal from the pain it’ll cause.
Unfortunately, my grandma’s Alzheimer’s developed very quickly and advanced severely every month that there was no planning; there were no more memories created when there could’ve been if we had just been aware earlier on and hadn’t ignored the little signs.
Memory loss happens because toxic changes start to develop within the brain, according to the National Institute of Aging. Healthy neurons stop functioning and lose connections with other neurons and die. Damage starts to happen in the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex, which are parts of the brain that are important when forming memories. As this keeps happening, the brain starts to shrink, eventually leading to a widespread destruction where the brain tissue shrinks greatly.
I saw life leave my grandma with my own eyes; the death cycle happened very slowly but aggressively all at once. How does someone ever recover from this? How is someone not supposed to fear getting old when there are diseases out there just waiting to eat your brain?
I tried to help my grandma remember by showing her photos or videos of past memories to help her regain them but I failed, not knowing the neurons were already damaged and there was no way I was going to retain them.
If only my family was more educated about this disease, we could’ve helped extend her lifetime or had the chance to create more memories before it was too late. If it wasn’t for this devastating disease, she would be here today celebrating her 84th birthday.
I encourage everyone to support the fight to end Alzheimer’s by becoming an advocate. To learn more about how to become an advocate, visit the Alzheimer’s Association website at www.alz.org/advocate.
If Alzheimer’s disease can take life from us, why don’t we bring light to it and spread awareness?
