A 45-year-old woman with early-onset Alzheimer's has shared one heartbreaking realization she had after being diagnosed with the life-changing condition.
Samantha Walker, from Wofford Heights, California, received her early-onset Alzheimer's diagnosis on April 3, 2025, after she began to notice some concerning symptoms.
Sam told UNILAD she had started 'forgetting entire conversations' even if they'd just happened and was 'losing words at an alarming rate'.
Having lost her great grandmother to Alzheimer's and knowing that both her grandmother and her mother had showed signs of cognitive decline in their 50s, Sam knew what she was experiencing wasn't 'normal' and so went to the doctor's to get checked out.
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After undergoing a number of tests as well as a PET scan, Sam was diagnosed at the age of 45.
The news left Sam feeling 'devastated', as she told UNILAD: "My doctor gave me literally no information, and my only resource for understanding my diagnosis was Google. Once I understood that this disease was happening *right now*, I was devastated.
"I couldn't stop thinking about what a horrible curse my family was just put under. My 17 year old son was going to lose me before he has a chance to grow up. My partner was going to be left alone after the heartbreaking process of being my caregiver. Everyone I love was going to be taken from me slowly, one day at a time, until I became like the walking dead."
Though it took Sam some time to get her head around the diagnosis, she is now trying to focus on the positive things in life, like playing with her dog, watching her son grow into a man, and catching up with an old friend over coffee.
However, Sam also found herself faced with one unexpected realization after she was diagnosed: a lot people had already 'written her off'.
She explained: "They've disappeared from my life or they've begun to treat me like a child."
Sam stressed that her disease is still only in its early stages, and she can still be active in her life.
With that in mind, she issued a plea to anyone who knows someone with early-onset Alzheimer's, saying: "Please don't do that, we are still adults and we deserve to be treated as such."
On top of being 'written off', Sam was shocked by how little support there was available to her following her diagnosis.
She explained: "In my rural area, there are no support groups for me at all. Even virtually, I can't find any support for me, only for my caregiver. I'm so thankful that caregivers have support, and I'm not trying to diminish that, but I'm expected to occupy the same spaces as them.
"Message boards full of horrible, heartbreaking stories litter my supposed support groups. I've found one Facebook group for us, but it's being run by a woman with dementia, and the group will inevitable die without a healthy person to keep it going."
Sam is now receiving treatment every two weeks, and has launched a fundraiser which will help cover the costs of gas, basic needs, home modifications, the ability to access resources, and bills.
In a post on GoFundMe, Sam wrote: "Every dollar is truly a blessing. I know how it feels to see these and not be able to help, but please don't feel bad if you can't. It's ok. It's all going to be ok one way or another."
You can donate to Sam's fundraiser here.
Topics: Health, Mental Health, California, US News, GoFundMe
Emily Brown