When a Mind Begins to Disappear: A Young Family's Journey to the Dark Side

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"My mission," Jim adds, "is to help people. And I want to tell them, 'Don't think it can't happen to you.' Because it can."

Jim is determined to publicize his cautionary tale, even if, at times, he finds it increasingly difficult to gather his thoughts. "Sometimes, I have all these words in my head, but it's hard to get them out," he says. "It's all there. But it's just hard to get them out."

Yet on a good day, when rested and relaxed, Jim speaks clearly -- with clarity and authority. Nevertheless, Michelle believes that he is now in the latter part of the second stage of Alzheimer's -- following the first stage of initial memory loss and confusion, and preceding the final stage of personality deterioration and the full loss of bodily function control.

Jim's current state -- the middle stage of disease progression -- is where mental and physical decline starts to take a mounting toll, and dependence on caregivers grows.

Yet despite the dire prognosis, Jim continues to draw on a deep reservoir of support filled by friends, family and a monthly support group he attends at Rush Hospital. And the constant flow of encouragement seems to have steeled in him a dedication towards making the most of his current abilities --to continue, in fact, "chasing my dream".

"I always wanted to be a varsity basketball coach, and now I've done it," said Jim, who has been hired part time as a varsity softball and basketball coach at Westminster Christian High School in nearby Elgin, Ill.

"He's so good with the kids," Michelle remarks. "They just love him. They really accept him for who he is and how he is. So it's a blessing."

"It's not easy to get a job with a handicap and, of course, I have to work hard just to look normal," Jim admits. "And, yes, I have to plan ahead just to do things that most people can do in a heartbeat. But that's OK, because I've never been a real organized person. So now I kind of am. I write things down. I make lists. I have to. It's kind of hilarious."

More information

For additional information on early-onset Alzheimer's, visit the Alzheimer's Association.