I Want to Be the First Survivor of Alzheimer’s Disease

As told to Jacquelyne FroeberSeptember 21, 2026, is World Alzheimer's Day. I kept thinking maybe I’d get lucky. That’s why I put off getting tested for the mutation many of my family members have for years. If I had it, I was basically guaranteed to have early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.The presenilin mutation is rare, but 16 people on my mother’s side — including my mother — had tested positive for the mutation, and there was a 50/50 chance that I had it, too. But I was holding out hope that my test results would be negative. After all, my two sisters didn’t have it. Unfortunately, I didn’t get lucky. My older sister and I were together when the doctor told me that I did, in fact, have the mutation. My whole body went into shock, and my stomach churned. I couldn’t find my words, so my sister asked the tough questions as tears streamed down my face. The questions that had loomed in the back of mind for so long played on a loop in my brain. But there was no more, “What if I can’t remember dad?” Or “What if I can’t take care of myself?” It was when. Robin, with her sisters, Chelsey (front right) and Jess McIntyre (rear left). I was horribly nauseated for days after I found out. It was...