The 61-year-old Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis of British TV host Fiona Phillips was made public.
The now 62-year-old was candid in an interview with the Daily Mirror about receiving her “heartbreaking” diagnosis a year later and how the condition has always affected her life.
“This disease has ravaged my family, and now it has come for me,” Phillips said. And it’s heartbreaking to see how it’s affecting people’s lives across the nation at all different ages. ” .
She continued, “I might not have thought I’d get it at 80.”. But my age was still only 61. “I felt more enraged than anything else because this illness has already had such a profound effect on my life; my poor mother was left paralyzed by it, and then my father, my grandparents, and my uncle. For us, it simply keeps returning. ”.
A degenerative condition of the brain known as Alzheimer’s is brought on by intricate alterations in the brain that occur after cell damage. It gradually impairs memory, thinking, and behavior to the point where it interferes with day-to-day activities.
The couple initially believed Phillips’ symptoms, including anxiety and brain fog, were caused by menopause, according to Martin Frizell, Phillips’ husband, who spoke to the media outlet. All of her symptoms, save for the fog in her head, improved once a menopause specialist started her on HRT.
The specialist then advised Phillips to seek additional assistance, according to Frizell. She was given an Alzheimer’s diagnosis following several months of cognitive testing and a spinal fluid analysis using a lumbar puncture.
The shock, I suppose.
Complete surprise.
We then said to one another. We went to get a drink after being asked, “Shall we?”. In fact, she chuckled, “We’ve established ourselves as regulars at the pub on the hospital square.
Frizell continued, “The doctor had said it was very early stages so we just had to go home and try to live our life as normal for now. All we could do was that. ”.
Because she was “so afraid that people will judge me or label me,” Phillips acknowledged that she had concealed her diagnosis for the previous 18 months. The columnist aspires to help eradicate the stigma attached to the illness by sharing her experience.
“There is still a problem with this disease,” she said, “that the public thinks of old people bending over a stick, talking to themselves.”. “But I’m still here, going out, having coffee dates with friends, going out to dinner with Martin, and walking every day. ”.
Phillips continued, “I also want my story to raise awareness about clinical trials that can aid in future Alzheimer’s treatments.”. At a hospital in London, she is presently taking part in clinical trials for the medication Miridesap, which may be able to lessen the severity of the disease.
Phillips told the outlet, “I just hope I can help find a cure that might make things better for others in the future.”.
