MICHAEL Booth watched dementia slowly rob his mum of her ability to talk or identify objects before she eventually died in 2020. Months later, he too was diagnosed with the condition - aged just 46. 2 Michael Booth was diagnosed with dementia aged 46 - just months after his mum died of the condition Credit: Twitter 2 He said it felt like 'a kick in the teeth' Credit: youngdementianetwork Michael, from Hartlepool, County Durham, said: "The diagnosis was a real blow, especially as I’d just watched my mum go through it.
"One of the hardest parts was to tell my dad that, after losing his wife to dementia, I now had it too. "It felt like a kick in the stomach at the time, and still does. "It’s a terminal disease, there is no cure, so it was a case of coming to terms with it.
" READ MORE ON DEMENTIA SPECS SAVER Why wearing glasses could help you slash risk of dementia and 13 other hacks TRAGIC MISTAKE Dad died after accidentally pouring washing detergent on his cornflakes Eventually, Michael came to accept his fate and now gives talks around the world on early-onset dementia . He has also written a book on the condition, and works with Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. The author of Dementia: You Are Not Alone said: "If the book helps just one person, either someone with Alzheimer’s or their carer, to accept the disease and live the best they can, then as far as I’m concerned, it has done its job.
" Michael was born in the North East but moved to South Africa a.