Featured Image Credit: GoFundMe
Topics: News, World News, Health
Gerrard Kaonga
A woman who has been diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer's has spoken out about the early symptoms she experienced.
Two years ago, Rebecca Luna was living what she called a ‘fast paced lifestyle’, but has to now come to terms with saying goodbye to the life she knows following a devastating diagnosis.
After a series of tests, the 48-year-old was diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer’s; also known as Young-Onset.
She has documented her adjustment to her diagnosis on social media, with many offering kind words on her TikTok page.
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And in a candid admission on her GoFundMe page, Rebecca spoke about what the future will likely entail for her and how she needs support.
She wrote: “I am facing a rare form of Alzheimer’s : Early Onset Alzheimer’s. This disease is terminal and progressive with a shorter (8 years) life expectancy.
“I’m doing my best to live fully, work and take care of myself-but the reality is that I won’t be able to do that forever. As this illness progresses I will eventually lose the ability to work, live independently and support myself financially.
“This go fund me is to help create savings to help with basic living expenses, medications, therapies and other out of pocket expenses, financial help for me and my children for the unknown.”
In an interview with Yahoo, the mother-of-two spoke further about increasing forgetfulness, which proved to be the first notable symptom she experienced.
Speaking to the outlet, she explained how she initially put the forgetfulness down to stress, saying: “I've been in my job for a few years. When I opened the computer [one morning] and looked at it, I didn't know what to do.
"I didn't know where to start. Normally, you would start your job and you'd be like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to do this, this, this.’ I had no idea. There was just … nothingness.”
Rebecca also spoke about more serious issues that arise due to her growing forgetfulness.
She continued: “Things happened [next] that were obviously [signs that] something was going on. I was boiling an egg. I left it on the stove, and then I walked downtown, which is a half-hour walk.
"When I got downtown, I realized I left the stove on. I ran home, and my house was covered in smoke. So, it literally almost caught my house on fire."
Rebecca has said that despite the seriousness of her condition, she tries to have a positive outlook not just for herself, but for her friends and family.
To donate to Luna's GoFundMe, click here.