Naomi

My mother was diagnosed in August 2007 with Frontotemporal dementia at 54. Because she was so “young,” even medical professionals didn’t consider dementia a potential diagnosis.

I was 22 at the time. For the past 11 years, my mother and I have been navigating this disease and its symptoms, together. There have been bends and turns, peaks and valleys, and a plateau; the road has been long and fraught with surprises. Through it all, I have always held myself to account to be the strong one. But after receiving some bad news this year, I reached out to my mother for support. And she reached back. It wasn’t necessarily about the exchange of words, but rather sharing space, a moment in time, where the fog cleared, and our unspoken bond was evident and comforting.

I was the daughter, and she was my mother. There will be good and bad days, but there will also be moments of brilliance when you can feel, whole. But you can’t wait for those days though, because you never know when they may come. That is why I decided to share my story. I gain some semblance of control, and turn a difficult situation, into a tale of resilience.

I hope that by having open and frank discussions, it will increase awareness of the disease, need for prevention, better treatment and an eventual cure.