A 46-year-old woman initially attributed her forgetfulness to postpartum “mum brain” before receiving a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s. Staci Marklin, now 47, from Knoxville, Tennessee, first noticed memory issues when her son, Gunnar, was two years old. Despite attributing it to pregnancy and postpartum effects initially, her difficulties with speech and memory worsened over time, leading to a brain scan and subsequent diagnosis.
After nearly two years of struggling with memory loss following childbirth, Staci’s concerns heightened due to her family history of Alzheimer’s. Although a doctor initially dismissed the possibility of early-onset dementia due to her age, Staci’s symptoms persisted and impacted her daily life, including struggling to remember her son’s birthday and experiencing memory lapses at work.
Following a series of tests, Staci’s diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s was confirmed in October 2024 after an amyloid PET scan revealed brain plaques. Her cognitive function was assessed to be significantly lower than expected for her age group, marking a turning point for her and her family.
Despite facing skepticism and stigma associated with Alzheimer’s as a disease typically affecting older individuals, Staci is determined to raise awareness and prepare her loved ones for the future. She has started documenting memories through videos for her family and recently began a new treatment called lecanemab, aimed at slowing cognitive decline by removing amyloid plaques in the brain.
While this treatment is not available through the NHS in the UK, Staci remains hopeful that it will benefit her, especially as she experiences diminishing side effects with each infusion. As she navigates life post-diagnosis, Staci embraces each moment with gratitude, hoping to create lasting memories for her family to cherish in the years to come.