Truemors
is reporting from
Member
NP Rank:
NP Rank:
Rebecca Doig Has Rare Form of Alzheimer's at Just 31 Years Old
Share: 
by Amy Judd | April 13, 2010 at 12:20 pm
717 views | 0 Recommendations | 1 comment
Rebecca Doig's Rare Form of Alzheimer's Disease Means She Does Not Recognize Her Newborn Daughter
Rebecca Doig is just 31-years-old but she now requires round the clock care and she does not recognize her newborn daughter Emily due to a very rare form of Alzheimer's disease called Familial Alzheimer's diagnosed only about nine months ago. This form of the disease is a form of early-onset dementia.
According to the Daily Mail, Rebecca Doig is the first woman to have a successful pregnancy and to give birth with Alzheimer's disease at such an advanced stage.
Rare Form of Alzheimer's Disease
When Rebecca Doig married her husband Scott she was disease free and nothing was wrong. However, after their wedding Rebecca started forgetting small things like where she put her handbag and keys and then she started isolating herself from others.
During tests for her memory loss the couple discovered she was pregnant. However the disease advanced so rapidly during her pregnancy that by the time Emily was born, Rebecca was indifferent to her new baby and is not able to even hold her.
“She has gone from being an independent, outgoing and bright young woman to someone who doesn’t recognize her own newborn daughter,” Scott Doig told the Daily Mail. “The road ahead is going to be extremely difficult, there’s no two ways about it.”
Familial Alzheimer's
According to the New York Daily News, this form of the disease acts like the more common strain does in elderly patients, but it typically affects those in their 30s and 40s and is so rare it only accounts for about 5 percent of all cases.
Scott Doig says that his wife is now like a stranger and he is struggling to find care for her on only one salary coming in. The couple have been denied a disability pension. Friends at the local council are going to hold a fundraiser to raise money for them.
Rebecca and Scott Doig's lives will never be the same however.
'She is like an 80-year-old going on five years old,' he said. 'She needs care 24/7. Her frontal, parietal and temporal lobes have all shrunk. She's lost her recent memory and emotions - inspiration, joy, happiness.'
He says he is never giving up on his wife however.
Advertisement
NowPublic on Facebook
What is NowPublic?
NowPublic lets people work together to cover news events around the world.
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (1)
at 20:42 on May 13th, 2010
We have 5 children so cannot donate much, however, I cannot express enough how much this has affected me as a Mother and wife. I find it hard to believe the governement will not allow the two of you to be together and receive a pension for the little time you may have together as a family. I congratulate you Scott, you obviously have a deep love for your wife, however, i remain angry at a goverment who is so narrow minded. I hope the time you share with your daughter Emily and your wife Rebecca is as happy as it can be. I read sad stories all the time and although I feel sad, have never been compelled to donate to a cause in the past. Good luck Scott and Rebecca's parents, I'm sure the future will be very difficult for you all, however, memories are all we have sometimes. I wish for a cure for Rebecca's condition, and I think of you as a family and how lucky I am. No-one can predict life and the curve balls it throws unfortunately, all you can do is manage with what you have. I would like to say "chin up", but your story is completely heart-wrenching to hear for someone so young to be going through what Rebecca is. This is only the start of my giving, I hope to do more for you as a family. Jaq and Rob