Laura Sides, who lost her father to Alzheimer's, faced the hardest truth of her life with the result of the genetic test she had taken. The woman, who is only 43, told what she has experienced as she approaches the period when doctors predict symptoms of the disease may begin.
SHE LOST HER FATHER AND LEARNED SHE WAS AT RISK OF THE SAME DISEASE
Laura Sides's life changed when her father, a general practitioner, was diagnosed in his 40s with a rare early-onset form of Alzheimer's. Laura, who had a strong bond with her father, dropped out of university to take care of him as the disease progressed. While her father was being treated in hospital, doctors told Laura there was a 50 percent chance she carried the same genetic mutation. Focusing all her attention on her father in those days, the young woman avoided thinking about this possibility for her own future. Laura lost her father in 2009, only one year after her mother's death. After her grief, she went on a trip around the world and settled in Melbourne, Australia.
THE TEST RESULT REVEALED THE HARDEST TRUTH OF HER LIFE
Laura consulted a specialist in 2013. The doctor explained that the genetic test could determine with 99.99 percent certainty whether she carried the relevant mutation. He also said that if she carried the gene, the decline in her brain would be expected to begin between the ages of 46 and 48. Laura, who initially avoided the test, decided to learn the truth in her 30s. After a six-month genetic counseling process, she took the test and waited six weeks for the result. Laura, who faced the doctor alone, described what she heard on BBC Radio 4's Life Changing program as follows: "I said, 'Let's get straight to the point.' They said, 'We're very sorry, it's not good news, and you have inherited the gene.'" Laura, who was greatly shocked when she learned the result, could not react at first. But in the days that followed, she began to struggle with feelings of anger and helplessness.
AT 43, HER EYES ARE ON AGE 46
Now 43, Laura is only three years away from age 46, when doctors predict symptoms may begin. Despite this, she does not want to spend her life constantly thinking about the disease. Laura described the uncertainty she experiences with the words: "I'm waiting for something to affect me deeply. I suppose one day I will begin to decline, but that doesn't keep me awake at night." Laura, noting that the genetic test result also affected her private life, said she found it difficult to explain her situation to people she had just met. However, she stated that seeing that she could be loved despite the risk of disease gave her hope.
SHE GAVE UP HER DREAM OF BECOMING A MOTHER
One of Laura's biggest dreams was to become a mother. But after learning of the hereditary disease risk, she reconsidered the idea of having children. Laura, stating that this decision was extremely difficult for her, said: "It was one of the very few things I had no doubt I could do and wanted to do. It's hard... but it doesn't make sense to do it. It wouldn't be fair."