Believe that Alzheimer gets only the aged people? Think again.
In the case of some, the killer disease comes much sooner than anticipated, robbing them of their memory, autonomy and identity as they are still upbringing a family or chasing a career. It is called early onset Alzheimer and it may strike between 40s and 50s.
You only have to ask Rebecca Luna. She could never have thought that her life can turn complete another way so quickly.
Rebecca Luna was prospering two years back. She was 48 years old working, a mother, and had a go-getter lifestyle that she enjoyed living. Then one fateful day, everything brought a very serious twist by a life-changing diagnosis, Early-Onset Alzheimer Disease.
The former stay-at-home mother of two is now opening up with the world by posting sobbing videos on TikTok, candid messages on her GoFundMe, and an extremely personal post sent to Yahoo. And she tries her best to stay positive but Rebecca is aware of what awaits her.
I am dealing with a rare Alzheimer type which is Early Onset Alzheimer. The disease is progressive and terminal with an abridged (8 years) lifespan expectancy as she stated in her GoFundMe page.
I would be trying my best to live my life as much as possible, to work and take care of myself but the thing is that I will not be able to do so forever. As this sickness develops I will at some point lose the capability to work, live on my own and provide myself financially.”
Rebecca is not only funding her own needs, she is also raising money to cushion her kids against the unclear future. The campaign of hers is a sad picture of how this disease deprives people not only of the memories, but also of the independence and identity.
The symptoms come up When a body has it so bad
In reflection, the signs were present, and Rebecca says it was easy to refute in the beginning. She attributed the lack of memory to stress. Till one day at work, she sat down on her computer, then everything went blank.
I have been on the job a number of years. One morning, when I had opened the computer and looked at it, I did not know what to do, she told Yahoo News.
I did not know what to begin with. Usually you would get into a job and you would say ‘Oh I have to do this, this, this.’ I did not know. It was nothingness … nothing.”
The same was the turning point.
The day when she nearly lost her house
The memory problems did not remain work-related only soon.
And then there were things that occurred [next] that spoke very evidentiary [that] something was happening, said Rebecca.
She is not over one incident.
I was making an egg boil. After that, I deposited it on the stove and then I went down to the streets which take half an hour to walk down town,” she said.
This happened to me, and when I was downtown I was going to call home because I had realized that I had forgotten to turn off the stove. I raced towards home and my house was filled with smoke. It actually nearly burned down my house so, it actually did”.
This is a reason why the situation of Rebecca is so urgent. She is losing the capability of living independently and yet she does not give up yet.
One day at a time, still being positive
Although she is aware that her situation will continue to deteriorate, Rebecca is struggling to remain positive not only towards herself and her friends but mostly to her family.
She posts her videos on Tik Tok, and they are naked, sincere, and quite emotional. And her GoFundMe is actually raising awareness about a disease which people often misunderstand it- particularly when it affects a person as young as she is.
It is heartbreaking and at the same time very inspiring how Rebecca takes everything that is ahead. And she has something to tell anyone who is in love with a person who has Alzheimer.
I would recommend an approach to accommodate them where they are. The real thing that has worked with me and my partner is that I am not to be question but to be reminded and believe them. And a hug to them. Inform them that you love them. Well, honestly speaking, what I am needing is a hug, a hug of my family, Luna says.