Tennessee mother Staci Marklin was only 47 when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. At the time, she had no idea that it was so serious, as the first symptoms she noticed weren’t what anyone would expect.
Per the Cleveland Clinic, Alzheimer’s disease is a “brain condition that slowly damages your memory, thinking, learning and organizing skills. It’s the most common cause of dementia. Symptoms usually first appear in people older than 65.”
In general, it can weaken or completely eliminate spatial understanding, behavior and personality, language, reasoning, and/or memory. As of today, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, but medications may manage symptoms and slow its progression.
“People with memory loss or other Alzheimer’s symptoms may have difficulty recognizing changes in their own mind and body. These signs may be more obvious to loved ones,” the Cleveland Clinic writes.
Staci Marklin had a two-year-old son, Gunnar, when she noticed the first symptoms that something was wrong. However, initially, she dismissed the symptoms as having “mom brain” post the tough period of having a toddler.
Mother who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s reveals first symptoms
However, it wasn’t. Staci Marklin had Alzheimer’s and noticed that she began switching words around. She told Unilad that, for example, she’d say things like “move the carpet,” instead of “move the curtain.”
“There would be times when things would just disappear from my brain. Someone once asked me about a co-worker, and I had absolutely no idea who they were talking about. I could tell it was someone I should know by the way they were talking. It was a few days later when I realized it was a co-worker that I had worked really closely with.”
Staci’s grandmother had Alzheimer’s, and she began considering that she might have it too. While a doctor told her that it was rare for her age, it was the reality.
After undergoing several tests, Staci was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in October 2024. An amyloid PET scan revealed amyloid plaques in her brain.
At that time, Staci had already quit working, and as she saw the results, she understood what it meant. She and her husband were in shock, crying together, and knew that “nothing would ever be the same.”
Wants to break the stigma
Today, Staci Marklin has begun a new type of treatment called lecanemab. She has been very open about her diagnosis on TikTok, and wants to break the stigma surrounding Alzheimer’s
“People generally see this as an older person’s disease and view people with Alzheimer’s as if they can’t do anything for themselves,” she said. “It was difficult for me to get people to believe me and to trust the results I had gotten.”
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