F*CK U FTD

Welcome to my blog! This is a big deal for me because I have been trying to figure out for the longest time how to share my story. I inserted a photo below of me just so you can connect a face to my blog!

I want my first post to describe what FTD is and what dementia is. Dementia is a term for several diseases that affect memory, thinking, and the ability to perform daily activities. The illness gets worse over time. It mainly affects older people but not all people will get it as they age. FTD stands for Frontotemporal dementia and is one of the diseases within the dementia umbrella. It progressively destroys nerve cells in the brains frontal and temporal lobes, causing the lobes to shrink impacting behavior, language, personality, and movement. It is a very aggressive form of dementia.

This disease unfortunately runs in my family so I have already lost my grandma on my mother’s side and my aunt (her sister). My mom tried to protect me as I was growing up telling me that it wasn’t possible for this to affect our family until it did which was a complete surprise and rattled me to my core. I can say with confidence my life will never be the same after my mom’s diagnosis.

That’s going to be all for my first post but I have SO MUCH more to write and say so buckle in for the ride. Smile as bright as you can everyday because life is short, too short to spend it unhappy.