Sparks has a wife, two kids are studying in college and co-owner of a multimillion dollar business. It is reported in CNN that Kenny Sparks was a "handsome man with a big smile.". He is loved by everyone. But things started to change when he was 49.
It is reported by his wife Cheryl that "He was stumbling over words,". "And he would forget what he was saying - but at almost 50, I think we all tend to do that."
Everybody saw the change in his personality. At first his family had a thought that he would be affected by Alzheimer's disease. But he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
"He just wasn't Kenny," said his wife.
"He'd tell stupid jokes all the time," said his son Graham. "And on [a family trip], he wasn't telling jokes. He was sitting there with a blank stare on his face."
His daughter Alexandra noticed the change, too: "He exercised all the time. He would swim constantly and he ate well. And all of a sudden he was downing gallons of ice cream. Gallons!"
At last Cheryl drove him to the doctor. From the cognitive tests it is confirmed that "he couldn't draw a clock and put the numbers or hands on it," she said.
The doctors told Cheryl that FTD would rob Kenny Sparks of his personality, his ability to communicate, and eventually his life. FTD refers to a group of neurodegenerative disorders that cause damage to the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the brain. These areas of the brain control reasoning, communication, social awareness, and memory. FTD changes the personality and leaves patients in a state of utter confusion and helplessness.
Dr. Murray Grossman of the University of Pennsylvania explains, "Many patients will lose their inhibitions. They'll act totally inappropriately, leaving their families to wonder what is wrong. Some patients will have no problem spending the family fortune, taking all their money and putting it into scams, get-rich-quick schemes, or going off and buying an expensive car or boat the family doesn't need. The patients lose their reasoning. What's particularly frustrating for family members is, the patients don't seem to have much insight into the difficulties they are having or causing for others."
Frontotemporal dementia affects approximately 250,000 Americans. Experts aren't sure what causes this form of dementia, and it's often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease.
Four years back Kenny Sparks was diagnosed with FTD. He cannot drive a car anymore. To take care of him his wife has quit her job.
"His need to be with me is constant, because he feels safe," she said. "He can't read a clock, so he'll get up at 3 a.m. and that's when we start our day . . . Now he's more like a child, most times."
Is dementia that hard to deal?
"There is no one hardest part," Cheryl said. "Well, for me, knowing that the man I thought I was going to grow old with - I'm not, I guess. Yes, that's the hardest part."
The prospect of losing your personality to dementia is frightening. Fortunately, you can take action to prevent dementia. Natural health researcher Christian Goodman has developed a simple set of exercises that prevent dementia naturally by increasing blood flow to the brain, in just minutes a day.
EL331014 - 31803
It is reported by his wife Cheryl that "He was stumbling over words,". "And he would forget what he was saying - but at almost 50, I think we all tend to do that."
Everybody saw the change in his personality. At first his family had a thought that he would be affected by Alzheimer's disease. But he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
"He just wasn't Kenny," said his wife.
"He'd tell stupid jokes all the time," said his son Graham. "And on [a family trip], he wasn't telling jokes. He was sitting there with a blank stare on his face."
His daughter Alexandra noticed the change, too: "He exercised all the time. He would swim constantly and he ate well. And all of a sudden he was downing gallons of ice cream. Gallons!"
At last Cheryl drove him to the doctor. From the cognitive tests it is confirmed that "he couldn't draw a clock and put the numbers or hands on it," she said.
The doctors told Cheryl that FTD would rob Kenny Sparks of his personality, his ability to communicate, and eventually his life. FTD refers to a group of neurodegenerative disorders that cause damage to the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the brain. These areas of the brain control reasoning, communication, social awareness, and memory. FTD changes the personality and leaves patients in a state of utter confusion and helplessness.
Dr. Murray Grossman of the University of Pennsylvania explains, "Many patients will lose their inhibitions. They'll act totally inappropriately, leaving their families to wonder what is wrong. Some patients will have no problem spending the family fortune, taking all their money and putting it into scams, get-rich-quick schemes, or going off and buying an expensive car or boat the family doesn't need. The patients lose their reasoning. What's particularly frustrating for family members is, the patients don't seem to have much insight into the difficulties they are having or causing for others."
Frontotemporal dementia affects approximately 250,000 Americans. Experts aren't sure what causes this form of dementia, and it's often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease.
Four years back Kenny Sparks was diagnosed with FTD. He cannot drive a car anymore. To take care of him his wife has quit her job.
"His need to be with me is constant, because he feels safe," she said. "He can't read a clock, so he'll get up at 3 a.m. and that's when we start our day . . . Now he's more like a child, most times."
Is dementia that hard to deal?
"There is no one hardest part," Cheryl said. "Well, for me, knowing that the man I thought I was going to grow old with - I'm not, I guess. Yes, that's the hardest part."
The prospect of losing your personality to dementia is frightening. Fortunately, you can take action to prevent dementia. Natural health researcher Christian Goodman has developed a simple set of exercises that prevent dementia naturally by increasing blood flow to the brain, in just minutes a day.
EL331014 - 31803
About the Author:
Blue Heron Health News is a leading publishing firm in the field of natural health. The firm lately published a detailed note of exercises to prevent dementia.
