Mum was 52 when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's..........

The first we knew there was something wrong with mum was when she told us she was going for a CT head saying " i can't remember where I put things." 
While waiting for the CT we thought a lot about what could be wrong with mum, preparing ourselves for it to be something serious, a brain tumour for example.  Prior to the CT I went with mum to see the neurologist who asked mum what she thought was wrong with her. Mum very calmly said "I think I have Alzheimer's." I remember feeling physically sick. Mum had never voiced these concerns to any of us. It turned out that mum had been seeing her GP for over a year with concerns re her memory but had kept it to herself. She didn't want to worry us. 

Six months later following numerous memory tests, CT's and an MRI they finally confirmed that mum had a combination of Alzheimer's and Dementia. Devastating news for anyone but mum was only 52! Sounds awful but some of our first thoughts were that a brain tumour would of been easier to accept. At least there might of been some hope of treatment or a even a cure. Unfortunately with Alzheimer's there is nothing but a tablet that "might" help slow things down. 

Six years on and mum is currently enduring a lengthily hospital stay because she can no longer attend to her basic personal needs and as a family we were struggling to cope at home with the challenging behaviour that is unfortunately a large part of this very cruel disease. 

Over the last 6 years we have watched our loving, intelligent and hardworking mum gradually disappear. 
We have watched our Dad's heart break as he struggles to cope with the gradual loss of his life partner and we have watched our Granda put on a brave face as his little girl fades away. 

Alzheimer's is a cruel and devastating disease that until your faced with it on a personal level you can't even contemplate the devastation it causes. 

We have given you just a small insite into this horrible disease in the hope that you will donate some money to Alzheimer Scotland to put towards research into a cure. Unfortunately it is too late for our mum but we want to help others faced with this in the future. 
At the moment only 2.5% of the governments clinical research budget goes towards Alzheimer's/Dementia yet 1 in 3 people over 65 have the disease and that is set to rise dramatically!!

So come on guys we need your help, dig deep, every penny counts. 

Thank you for taking the time to read our very personal story. 

Sarah and Matthew. Xx