Putting his boots on the wrong feet, struggling to read clocks and confused by technology, 60-year-old Neil Godfrey was at a loss when explaining this to his doctor three years ago.
“He (told me), ‘you’re 60, that’s going to happen to everybody,” recalled Godfrey.
Unconvinced, the Priddis resident insisted on getting testing done.
Six months later he was diagnosed with a rare type of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease called Posterior Cordial Atrophy, a gradual and progressive degeneration of the outer layer in the posterior side part of the brain.
For the past several months, Godfrey has shared his story throughout the Foothills and Calgary alongside his wife and caregiver Joanne, including a talk at a neurology class at the University of Calgary.
“We put a list of information together that we learned from doctors and from the Internet about the signs of Alzheimer’s disease,” he said. “I think hearing from me publicly with questions that I can answer is valuable.
“Joanne and I are trying to educate people to pay attention”.
Godfrey will speak at the Sheep River Library in Turner Valley June 5 and the Okotoks Public Library June 19 - both days at 1:30 p.m.
“We live in a generation of a lot of people struggling with cognitive disabilities – there’s many different types,” said Godfrey. “It’s a topic that’s in the forefront right now and I’m just trying to get the message out. I’m trying to get people to pay attention to their brains in their 40s, 50s and 60s.”
According to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, more than half a million Canadians are living with dementia, with 25,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
By 2031, that number is expected to rise to 937,000.
A geoscientist for most of his life, as well as a watercolour and oil painter, Godfrey said he never even considered the possibility of getting Alzheimer’s disease.
“Alzheimer’s never came across my mind,” he said. “I was a super techy geoscientist. I was very competent at a lot of things.”
When Godfrey found himself struggling with simple tasks like reading face clocks, dressing, spelling his name and following directions, he knew
something was wrong.
“I pay attention to my own brain and I was having some cognitive failure issues,” he said. “I really struggled with technology, which was my forte before.”
Godfrey recalls one day when he attempted to complete his taxes but kept getting confused and disoriented.
“I actually broke down and cried in my office, going ‘What is going on?’” he said.
It was after Godfrey put his ski boots on the wrong feet and skied for a spell that he knew his doctor was wrong.
“I had to go back after the ski boot incident,” he said. “He should have just done the test and it would have been picked up six months earlier.”
Godfrey not only talks about the symptoms that led him to believe something was wrong, but how he’s coping with the disease.
“I’m managing it quite well,” he said. “I’ve decided to focus on the things that I can do, not the things that I can’t do. That has been really helpful for me.”
These activities include hiking, skiing, camping, painting and volunteering as a mentor at the Alberta Men’s Centre.
“I like to go camping by myself and Joanne allows me that even with my Alzheimer’s,” he said. “I go out and camp at McLean Creek mid-week when there is nobody there. I paint in the RV with a bit of Pink Floyd in the background. I love the solitude.”
Godfrey said he’s taking medication that helps to improve his thinking, but was told it will work for a few years before the effects wear off.
“I’m a walking, living person with Alzheimer’s who is still pretty capable, but I’m not,” he said.
“I’m going to continue to do things I can do. That’s something I hang on to all the time. Eventually it will kill me and I’ve embraced that.”
Information will be set up during Godfrey’s presentation with a representative from the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territory available to answer questions.
