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Will It Get You?
By News Desk | September 10, 2008
1…2…3…In 71 seconds another person’s mind will be corrupted, another family thrown into chaos, and more case of Alzheimer’s will be recognized. Imagine slowly forgetting your world, the ones you love, and even your name. Contemplate an existence lacking identity or cognitive proficiency. This confusing lonely life where delusions attack common sense, affects 1 in 4 people in this world. The odds aren’t in your favor.
As humans we are aware of our mortality and are innately afraid of it. As the minutes pass by we see our grave getting ever closer. In America we are no longer victims to the terrifying diseases that ravage third world countries. But something else is lurking in our later years. We may fight off cancer and beat heart disease, but can one really fight against an illness of the mind. One can’t retain the will to get better if your mind is the first to go, erased, deleted with no hope of return.
Alzheimer, so named for its discoverer, Alios Alzheimer, is a progressive brain disease. Unlike that of dementia, this disease does not just affect memory, think, and behavior; it also steals years off your life. In fact Alzheimer is the sixth leading cause of death today.
A recorded 5.2 million American’s suffer from Alzheimer today, living their death. As they await the disease to take its course, they experience the painfully slow mental degradation. They go through the agony that the victim suffer, before their minds become utterly useless. The anger. The hate. The confusion. Emotions they muddle through, trying to understand what is happening to them. This is a fate worse than death, one that millions will be diagnosed with each year.
Alzheimer affects millions more than the statistics imply. The families whose love ones must live with this illness are likewise scarred. They see it all, knowing they are helpless to the whims of this mental invasion, unable to save the ones that are so dear.
Scientists are always studying Alzheimer; trying to find a clue, make a break through that will bring people back from the brink of their own destruction. In the meantime, millions will began to forget, millions more will die away, and countless families will bare the weight of this horror.
Note: Though I am still years away from this death sentence, Alzheimer has already affected my life and that of my family. I have watched my grandfather fall apart, loosing his identity to this monster. I have seen my family stumble under the weight of such a financial and emotional burden. And I too have felt the stress of this first hand. Alzheimer is a true threat that needs immediate addressing.
By: Landis Grenville
Topics: Discuss Amongst Yourselves |