Personal Narrative: A Rare Neurodegenerative Disease

By the time my PopPaw was diagnosed the disease was progressing fast. My Mom and I would take turns with my Aunt in going every other weekend to help care for him. I was the only grandchild that had the strength to face the problem and never give up on him. I would read to him and tell him all about my activities. We would watch shows on tv and I tried so hard to be patient when having to explain things to him multiple times a day. He lost the ability to walk and was unable to leave the house unassisted. This was devastating to a man that thrived on being outside and when this happened he went into a deep depression. My Mom, my Aunt and my MomMaw struggled to get him to eat and interact. I was the only person he would talk to and even eat for with encouragement. But my Mom would say, “I don’t think it is good to put that much pressure on Amelia. She is so young and it is a huge burden for her to bear to be responsible for keeping him

A few months into the school year I got some news from my parents that referred to my grandmother. She had an accident in her home that put her in critical condition. At this point my father rose to the occasion and began to watch after my grandmother, his mom. Taking care of my grandmother was not an easy task. She was constantly being moved in-between nursing homes and hospitals. She continuously had unstable vitamin levels and her body and was just in very poor physical condition. My father held on though, he was always by her side making sure she was okay. While my grandmother won’t ever fully recover, she is doing much better. It’s because of my father that she’s still alive today. I lost more of my innocence through all this but at the same time I learned that when things get bad, family takes care of one

On Sept 23, I will be walking with my brother-in-law, Tim's team to End Alzheimer's. In addition to losing my mother to this disease, on Dec 26, 2016 I lost my lifelong friend from the day I was born, Marlene Hecht Richards, while she was fighting Alzheimer's. Sept 23, the day of the walk would have been her 74th birthday. Please join me in supporting the fight to End Alzheimer’s by donating to Team

My Great Grandma was my best friend, I’m not sure how else to describe our relationship. She was someone I looked up to and hoped to be like when I grew up. She taught me a lot about life and how crazy it can be. Whenever I have tough days I replay her encouraging words in my head. Towards the end of February of 2013, my family received a call from my Great Grandpa to inform us that my Great Grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. We found this out only a few weeks before we were supposed to head down to Arizona to visit them for spring break. Our family didn’t know how severe it was going down there, we came to find out she was genuinely unhealthy. She didn’t want to leave her room, she didn’t want to complete simple tasks, she would tell

When I was five years old I found out my sister, who at the time was two years old, was diagnosed with Cancer. This was a challenge for my entire family.

I woke up to the sound of sirens, getting louder and louder each second. A state of panic filled my neighborhood. My heart dropped to my stomach as I watched my neighbor get strapped onto a stretcher and rushed out of the neighborhood to the nearest hospital. As I sat there, holding my neighbor’s two young boys in my arms, I realized that those sirens had awakened me and opened my eyes to a world that a child could not understand. In this single moment, I was maturing and preparing myself for adult-like responsibilities.

A few years ago, I went to Thanksgiving dinner at my grandmother’s house. My whole family knew that my great aunt had Alzheimer’s, but no one knew how bad it had gotten.

When I was a LET 1, my grandmother was struggling with breast cancer. She needed a lot of help and support from me and the rest of my family. She

In October 2010 my grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease the destroys memory and mental functions. This life changing experience has taught my family courage, forgiveness, strength, and so much more.

Dealing with this brain tumor has been very taxing the last couple of months. It started with frequent headaches accompanied by black spots in my vision. This absolutely freaked me out and I was at my doctor’s office within the week, he then referred me to a neurologist who ordered a CT scan for me. The tumor is the size of a Penney and I now have to see an oncologist. They have ordered me to have chemotherapy as well as radiation. The chemotherapy makes me sick and nauseas but the medical marijuana that the Doctor prescribed has helped with my appetite. I have been lucky enough to keep my hair although it is thinner unfortunately my eyebrows are gone and I now have to draw them in. I’m very blessed with an employer that is understanding and

I lost her to cancer about four years ago. The starting of high school the most critical moment in a teenagers life though I was getting old enough not to need a babysitter she was still a large support system in my life. Her doctors didn’t think so. Not having the most ovbious sympyoms and bad insurance coverage meant doctors couldn’t run “unnecessary

From pre-school through primary school, I was tagged talented and gifted by the school district I attended. My state test scores had placed in the top 2% in math and reading. I was always told I communicate better than most adults. Writing a paragraph on any subject though, and I look at the pen and paper like it’s a deadly virus though. I have failed almost every class despite understanding the material better than the instructor. I spent a great deal of my childhood in a state of confusion asking myself what the heck was going on.

"It is more important to know what person the disease has, than what disease the person has." - Hippocrate

“Beep! Beep!” Like a reflex, I wake up to the familiar ring of my alarm clock and brush my teeth. My father, however, is startled by the foreign noise and hesitates, unsure what to do next. Some days I have to instruct him, “Right hand on the toothbrush, left hand squeezes the toothpaste, and now the tricky part, move your hand in circles.” At the age of 51, My father was diagnosed with early-onset dementia. I was devastated when I saw him struggle with basic daily movements. Ironically, it was the month I spent with my father away from medical school, that revealed my passion for physiatry. During this time, I utilized creative methods to help him maintain his function and I witnessed firsthand the significant impact disabilities have on every facet of a patient’s life. Individuals with neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction struggle not only with motor and sensory debility but also with medical and psychosocial comorbidities. My desire to help patients optimize their quality

My grandpa got sick. She was always going and coming from the hospital. Finally we had to her in a retirement home. I