ALZHEIMER'S: The great depriver

I want to thank Dr. Ahlquist for his 18 years of service in the ER. For all those who work in the ER, they too are heroes and saints.

I will defer to Dr. Ahlquist on the pain and suffering of the opioid crisis and I do agree that education is a great place to start, along with removing excess pills in the system. However, opioid addiction is not a disease, which means at some point, it’s a choice. Two hundred deaths a year is too many, but pales compared to Alzheimer’s disease, which is not a choice and well over 1,000 people a year die from dementia.

Alzheimer’s by itself kills more people than breast and prostate cancer combined. Every 66 seconds, someone in America gets Alzheimer’s and 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s right this moment. If you are 30 to 65, don’t think you are safe. Early onset Alzheimer’s disease is becoming more deadly by the day.

In December 2015, after a year of testing, I was informed I had early onset Alzheimer’s disease. I was 59 years old. I had a great job that I lost, a great Jeep which I lost and I no longer drive. Alzheimer’s disease takes everything from you and only then will it kill you. That’s 100 percent of the time; if you are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, you will die. There is no cure and no medicine to help you. You just lose your mind slowly, and in the end, you remember nothing and no one.

If you’re looking for a cause to support, may I suggest the Alzheimer’s Association? They do a great job for the 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease.

KEVIN DAHL

Coeur d’Alene