A Reddit user recently posted a photo that stuck with me. The image shows a series of crochet squares her mother made after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The earliest ones are neatly stitched, but as time progresses, her crocheting gets messier and messier. The last squares aren’t squares at all, but tangles of yarn.
The picture perfectly captures how Alzheimer’s destroys the brain. The disease robs people of their ability to function. My family and I have seen first-hand how devastating this process is, and we’re not alone.
In the UK, Alzheimer’s is the only disease in the top 10 causes of death without any meaningful treatments that becomes more prevalent each year. Unless we find a breakthrough in treatment, its cost — both emotional and financial — will explode.