Lauralee Denler, 60, goes for a run on her long, winding driveway in Old Saybrook to train for a 5K. Her wife Tara Milardo runs with her, cheering her on.
A year ago, Denler was diagnosed with , a term used by physicians when the disease is diagnosed under the age of 65.
鈥淚 was working in school, I was teaching small group instructions for reading and math students, and I realized that I couldn't remember their names,鈥� Denler said. 鈥淚 also would walk down the hallways and look at the teachers, and I couldn't recall who they were. So, I went to my primary physician. They ended up taking a test. And when it came to the word recall, I couldn't recall one word, and I just started crying.鈥�
Denler鈥檚 doctor got her into an Alzheimer鈥檚 in Stamford right away 鈥� her mother, too, had the disease. And she believes that the she takes twice daily is unlikely to be a placebo.
鈥淸My mother] didn鈥檛 have any of these studies. That's why I'm so grateful to be in a study. I'm already noticing the differences,鈥� Denler said. 鈥淢y total recall is there again, word recognition is back up. When I first went there, and they would put the camera on you and interview you, I remember I had a blank stare outside the window, and they asked me where I was and I didn't know where I was. Now I can give you the address, I can tell you the town, I can tell you the people there.鈥�
That sense of wellbeing allows Denler to live an active life. have shown that patients who stick to a healthy diet and keep moving do better.
The Alzheimer鈥檚 Association of 海角换妻 is hearing more from patients under the age of 65.
Kristen Cusato, spokesperson, says the number of people,including Denler, showing up at museum tours, aquariums and picnics for Alzheimer鈥檚 patients has doubled since last year.
鈥淭here is less of a stigma and people are not as afraid to come forward,鈥� Cusato said. 鈥淒octors are seeing that 40-and-50-year-olds can have this disease. Previously, and we heard a lot of stories of people saying, 鈥業 go to the doctor, I was having memory concerns, we were fighting a lot, and the doctor would say, go to a marriage therapist.鈥欌��
Dr. Carolyn Fredericks, a Yale neurologist, says much of that change in mindset is driven by science.
鈥淲ith new treatments on the horizon, including what we call disease modifying therapies, amyloid antibodies, for example, more people are coming forward with symptoms that they're concerned about than might have in the past,鈥� Fredericks said.
Around 300,000 people live with young onset Alzheimer鈥檚 in the U.S., according to the Alzheimer鈥檚 Association. A state-by-state breakdown does not exist. But a quarter of all patients at the 海角换妻 support group Giving Alzheimer鈥檚 Purpose include people with young onset. The 海角换妻 chapter is launching its first support group exclusively for patients living with early onset.
At Denler鈥檚 picturesque New England house in Old Saybrook, her family is more active than ever. Denler and Milardo鈥檚 son Tyler, who they adopted from Guatemala when he was a baby, is now 21 and a runner who makes sure that Denler keeps moving.
鈥淓ven if it鈥檚 not going on a run, maybe it鈥檚 just a walk down the beach,鈥� he said.
Out on the back porch, the 海角换妻 River is silver and gray in the afternoon light. Sounds of summer are everywhere, wind rustling through full branches, bird calls. A lighthouse rises from a rock, surrounded by sailboats.
Exhausted by her disease, Denler no longer works full time, just a few hours a week. Milardo鈥檚 insurance from her corporate job covers her medical care.
Denler meditates in her garden, attends sound healing therapy and cooks brain-healthy food.
鈥楾he junk food is Tyler鈥檚,鈥� she laughs, opening her pantry. 鈥淟et鈥檚 see, one of the first things I take in the morning is this organic . I put it in my yogurt. I can put it in my oatmeal.鈥�
She shows a cookbook titled, "MIND Diet for Beginners." 鈥淚t has 85 recipes and a seven day kickstart plan to boost your brain health,鈥� she says. Black bean burger is a favorite, as is a cashew veggie stir fry.
It鈥檚 inevitable that Denler often thinks of her mother. 鈥淪he would wander a lot. Then we would lose her. We would actually have to call the constables to help us find her [and] they would always bring her back,鈥� she says. 鈥淪he went into different moods. My dad did not want to put her into any type of another living arrangement. He thought family would be able to take care of her, and we did. It was Tara, myself and my dad who pulled together and took care of my mom. But I'm not there yet to put myself at that ending point, my ending is a lot different.鈥�
Denler pulls out her vision board stuck with collages she made of her future.
鈥淭hese white flowers represent hope in Alzheimer鈥檚,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 Snoopy holding up a white flower. After I鈥檓 healed I want to go to Switzerland.鈥�
And there, she dreams of being among the edelweiss.
