A mother has shared her agony after her daughter was diagnosed with dementia - aged just 19.
Rebecca Robertson, 50, initially thought Gianna Cabo's brain fog was a symptom of long Covid because her daughter had been severely ill with coronavirus.
Gianna, who was studying at school and college at the time, suddenly struggled in lessons and went from a straight-A student to floundering at the bottom of her class.
Her memory slowly deteriorated over the next few years, to the point where she could no longer even perform basic household tasks, like operating a tin opener.
And when Rebecca took her daughter to see a neurologist in November 2022, she had a series of medical tests, which found there was no electrical activity in Gianna’s right central lobe and she was diagnosed with dementia.
Now Rebecca feels like Gianna, aged 20, is "slipping away", as she "doesn’t laugh anymore" and "doesn’t get out of bed".
Speaking today, Rebecca, from McKinney, Texas, said: "I feel like she's slipping away and nobody knows what to do.
"I just pray there is a treatment out there that can give me some hope.
"She doesn’t laugh anymore. She doesn’t get out of bed. Whatever you ask her, any time of the day or night, she just says ‘I don’t remember’.
"The saddest part is it doesn’t bother Gianna. There’s no emotion there. None. She’s 100 per cent apathetic."
Gianna is unable to recall her most treasured childhood memories. Since the diagnosis, she withdrew from her friends.
Rebecca and Gianna were also involved in a car crash in 2019, which left Gianna with compressed discs in her neck and this, according to her mum, has also hindered Gianna's mental health.
Recalling Gianna's dementia diagnosis, Rebecca said: “I felt like someone had just punched me in my heart. I sat there stunned.
"I thought this can’t be true, she’s only 19. I never thought it could be dementia - not in my wildest dreams."
The mum is speaking out during Dementia Action Week, which raises awareness about the types of the disease.
While dementia is often associated with people aged 65 and older, Rebecca wants to stress it can affect anyone, regardless of their age.
Rebecca continued: Every day I see a little bit of her fade away. I try not to associate my feelings with it because I’m so focussed on getting her better, but I’m scared to death.
"I’m not going to give up on my kid. I can’t give up. Hopefully we’ll find a new doctor who can help.
"She was becoming more and more detached and apathetic.
"I recently asked her what was the happiest moment of your life, and she just looked confused and said ‘I don't remember’."
