DALLAS — Former Dallas Cowboys receiver and Hall of Famer Michael Irvin announced that his wife, 58-year-old Sandy Harrell Irvin, has been battling early-onset Alzheimer's for the last five or six years, according to Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Irvin made the announcement during a soft opening for his new sports bar Playmakers88, located at 5005 SH 121 in The Colony, Texas. Patrons were invited to watch Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics on Monday.
According to the report, Irvin says his wife has trouble walking, talking and requires 24-hour care with a live-in caretaker.
Irvin told Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he has no intentions of putting his wife in a nursing home and that she had earned the right to stay in her house. Irvin says he will honor that, no matter what it takes.
Irvin met his wife while at the University of Miami. The two got married in 1990 and are celebrating 34 years of marriage in June.
What is early-onset Alzheimer's?
According to the Alzheimer's Association, early-onset Alzheimer's disease affects people younger than the age of 65, with many of those affected being in their 40s and 50s.
Symptoms of this disease include memory loss that disrupts daily life, challenges in planning or solving problems, difficulty completing familiar tasks, confusion with time or place, trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships -- and much more, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
Diagnosis for this disease can be a long and frustrating process, one that includes medical evaluations, cognitive tests, neurological exams and more as there is no one test that confirms a diagnosis, the Alzheimer's Association says.
There are numerous resources available to those suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's including a 24/7 helpline, support groups, interactive tools and more. All of which can be found on the Alzheimer's Association's website here.
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