What Led Me to Development
Fourteen years ago my mother was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. A rare form of the degenerative disease that affects decision making, emotional regulation and communication. She was 52 years old. I was 13 years old.
Two years ago my mother Terri passed away.
There is so much to say about how the course of those twelve years affected my family. The way Alzheimer’s stole our mother left a mark on my Sister and I that will never fade. Many people have written about the personal affects of dementia in ways much more eloquent than I ever could.
Months later Dr. Sandra Black of the Sunnybrook Research Institute called my Sister and I to let us know the results of my mother’s post-mortem brain examination. Dr. Sandra Black is a leader in studying neurological degenerative disease and I could go on and on about the work she has done for all of human kind.
Dr. Black let us know their are very few conclusive ways to ‘fight’ Alzheimer’s but that research is getting closer every year. She highlighted the hereditary nature of early onset degenerative diseases, while ensuring us nothing was set in stone. She told us to “Live a good life. Live a stimulating life. Live with exercise. Learn a new language.” A quick glance at the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada’s website echoes most of Dr. Black’s advice.
This phone call helped me to choose to reassess my priorities and lifestyle. Am I going to get Alzheimer’s in my 50s? I don’t know. But I want to live whatever amount of life I had left the best I can.
Get healthy? Check. Live a good life? Trying. Live a stimulating life? This is where coding comes in. I decided to start pushing myself mentally. No more malaise. No more working in stifling environments that do not challenge me. I always wanted to be bilingual, so why not learn Javascript?
Every day of my life as a developer I feel challenged, I feel stimulated. I am constantly wanting to learn new things and each new skill takes work. I’ve taken part-time courses and spent hours at home staring at my computer to become a better developer. It is hard. Bootcamp is hard. Javascript is hard. But these are challenges that I will be stronger for besting. I one day will be able to take these skills and help others.
Did you know over 700,000 people in Canada live with dementia, and over 30 million people world-wide? Multiply both of those numbers a few times to determine how many friends and family are affected by it world-wide. This number is expected to double in the coming years. These individuals and their care-givers/families will need support and we need to start using our strengths now.
This is the first time I have really vocalized or compiled the way I visualize coding and Alzheimer’s together as a part of my life. But I know more than anything that I want to use the skills I have learned and will continue to learn as a web developer to aid individuals and families experiencing Alzheimer’s and dementia. Whether it is memory aid apps or finding support for families and care-givers, I want to always keep this link and remember my objective.
Stimulating my brain and becoming a better developer will not only help my own battle with Alzheimer’s but it will allow me to help others. I just have to keep in mind that I am doing this today for Terri.
Link to donate to The Alzheimer’s Society of Canada
