Treatments are coming, but they’re not here yet. The paradox is that only if people like me join research programmes like Craig’s can they come in time to save those of us in our 60s now.
I asked my own family about this.
My four sons think I should go ahead and do it. Find out the truth, they say, and let’s deal with it together.
But my daughter, still traumatised by seeing what happened to her grandma, burst into tears.
She’s afraid that if we do find out that amyloid is lurking in my brain, with no immediate means of removing it, the knowing will affect our present, not just our future.
We are on the cusp of game-changing developments today, which, if scientists are right, could cure Alzheimer’s soon.
Biomarkers in the blood will allow people at risk to be identified and given the opportunity to participate in trials for new treatments.
That’s good for them and it’s good for their children and grandchildren. But if these trials can’t be run at scale with non-symptomatic volunteers, scientists won’t be able to develop this vital next stage of treatments.
So they need people like me. What should I do? That’s what my film is about.
Sally Magnusson: Alzheimer’s, a Cure and Me will be broadcast on Scotland at 21:00 on Sunday 13 October. It will also be available on the iplayer.
