This is my family and this is our story.

 

Third from the left is my beautiful mother. Proud mother of the bride of her daughter's wedding day, August 2014. My mum was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's January that very year at the young age of 56.

Mum was very active person. She loved chatting and sharing stories with everyone she came into contact with. She could light up a room. She had a career as a hobby therapist at a care home and enjoyed her role. She organised gala days and regular day trips for those she cared for spreading joy and happiness where possible. My mum was a people person, extremely organised and thorough. She was committed and above all loved her family.

My mum loved arts and crafts. In church she would have people baking and painting. She loved family get-togethers and chewing the fat with her pals, the life and soul of the party. It has to be said she had a mischievous side, winding up those closest to her and pushing her luck where possible. 

This is who my mum is and I love her, we all do. 

 In approx. 2009 mum had a mini stroke, in hospital for a while it was a scary time. It was strange seeing my mother, always so strong, in a way helpless to what had happened to her. Initially there were no obvious side effects. She returned to work, we all returned to our lives, everything seemed fine.

It wasn't until a couple of years after this event that we started to notice something did not seem right with my mum. She began repeating herself on a regular basis, making mistakes that she would never normally make. She would forget to buy things, meet people at the wrong time or even forget to meet at all. We assumed it was as a consequence of the stroke, nothing too serious that couldn't be managed. Little did we know these were the first signs of what would become the diagnosis of early onset alzheimers.

It was much more apparent in my mums workplace. She would turn up for shifts on the wrong day, making errors in the supply of patient medication. It was not until she was sent home from work one day that we really noticed the severity of how this was progressing. The regularity of these symptoms.

 We made numerous doctors appointments. We were passed on from professional to professional without a solid diagnosis of her symptoms. Initially we were being told my mum was depressed and stressed. We had to fight for doctors to permit her to undertake numerous memory tests to which my mum failed. Simple questions like the date or year she could not answer. Again we had to push and push for a brain scan as we were convinced that my mums confusion was not down to stress. We had to chase again for the results. There was no sense of urgency from the medical professionals. For those who suffer this disease without a strong family behind them I really do fear for their wellbeing. As a family we felt like we were constantly being hit with barriers with no-one willing to give mum a diagnosis, or help us understand what was happening. I believe the main driver in this battle was the fact that many of the people we dealt with over the years believed my mum was TOO YOUNG to have Alzheimer's!

In the the end, after months of fighting, we finally received the official diagnosis. We heard the words we had been seeking but yet equally dreading - I am sorry to tell you Mrs Duke, you have Alzheimer's.

My mum and our family fight on. It is a constant struggle. However, their are good times. Every now and again the caring, loyal, cheeky mother will return and make us laugh. Those moments we treasure now more than ever. 

My goal is now to raise the profile of early onset Alzheimer's by any means possible. No family should go through the struggle we had to the gain a diagnosis. There is also a severe lack of care and facilities available for those that are victims to this disease early in life. I hope in some way my story acts to help others and aid them in the challenging times faced by confronting such a horrible disease.

My mum is a wonderful woman and I know she would be proud and she would  support the steps that I am taking to confront the stigma of early onset Alzheimer's.