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Our precious Granny passed away on December 3rd this year. She was diagnosed with Early-onset Alzheimers years ago and we watched helplessy as the devastating effects of the degenerative disease took her from us.

We buried her 20th December and it was the hardest day of our lives. She was the youngest patient on the hospital ward and in the funeral home. As a nurse, she cared for patients of the disease before she became ill and would have been aware of some of the awful things that were to come. We, her grandchildren were not.

Alzheimers is so often misunderstood. It's not just something that makes you lose your memory. It is a physical disease affecting the brain, which over time results in the death of brain cells.

Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, which means that gradually, over time, more parts of the brain are damaged. As this happens, the symptoms become more severe. One of the most common misconceptions is that alzheimers doesn't kill and although it is true that individuals with Alzheimer's disease often die of a medical complication, such as pneumonia or the flu, Alzheimer's itself can be fatal; even if there are no other complications, the late-stage symptoms can lead to death when patients can no longer be fed or breathe safely. Granny was affected by prety much all of the possible symptoms of end-stage alzheimers (those that I had read and researched) except for one. That was the ability to smile. The last time that I saw her alive, the moment that our eyes met, there it was, that huge smile she always gave me. Just over a month later she was gone.

It didn't sink in until we visited her in the funeral parlor and she didnt open her eyes. I wasn't prepared, if only I'd really known what we were up against. It's important to me that people become more aware of this illness; especially the families of victims because once you get that diagnosis, time becomes so precious. I live 4000 miles away from my granny and always visited when I was over (twice yearly) but if I had been more aware, I just may have considered other options. Had I known in October, what I know now, I definately would have spent the last month with her