Carrie was 31-years old when she learned she had inherited the rare Presenilin 1 Alzheimer’s gene that took her father’s life shortly after his 43rd birthday. Just as she and each of her two siblings had a 50-50 chance of inheriting this gene, so do each of her three children – Hannah, 17, Jacob, 16, and Rylie, 12.
She talks about this and more with The Caregiver’s Voice.
Despite the diagnosis, she’s mostly asymptomatic. Although, she had an incident with her youngest daughter that brought her to tears.
Carrie was only seven when her father was diagnosed. She remembers her mother saying, “Your father will die of this disease.” She didn’t understand it then and worried that he might die that day, the next, and then next for eight years until he passed when she was 15. As a result, she chose to be as open as appropriate with each of her children.
For the time she has, she is actively advocating and participating in clinical research.
Triple-A: Alabama Alzheimer’s Advocate
I had to give Carrie this Triple-A title after learning that she’s living in Alabama and advocating for Alzheimer’s awareness. Hmmm, with awareness, that’s actually an A4!
Today, Carrie Salter Richardson, age 37, is a brave woman who represents a rare segment of people living with Alzheimer’s disease. She served as the Alzheimer’s Association’s Congressional Ambassador, traveling to Washington DC to advocate on Capitol Hill. Until recently, she traveled as a brand ambassador for NuStep – an all-inclusive recumbent cross-trainer for people with neurological challenges, such as Parkinson’s. Today, she serves as an ambassador for the Youth Movement Against Alzheimer’s. [TCV Update 4/13/2023: URL Updated]
Click on the video below to watch and then connect with Carrie via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/carrie.s.richardson
Mea culpa for mixing up the order of Carrie’s name in this interview and for mistaking her for being Bryan’s older sister.
Correction: The person in this interview, my ex-wife’s legal name, is Carrie Salter Whitfield.