My 19 Year Old Daughter Got Diagnosed With Dementia, I Thought It Was Long Covid

In 2020, Rebecca discovered that her daughter, Gianna Cabo, thought to have brain fog from long Covid, actually had early-onset dementia.

Gianna was diagnosed at the young age of 19, surprising everyone.

Gianna's challenges arose following a car accident in June 2019 involving her and her mother, Rebecca.

Rebecca sustained injuries, including a severe concussion and compressed discs in her neck, but eventually received medical clearance.

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During Rebecca's recovery from her neck surgeries, both she and Gianna experienced a severe bout of Covid.

Both Rebecca and Gianna faced difficulties breathing, with a sensation of tightness in their chests.

Rebecca vividly described it as feeling like an enormous weight, as if an elephant were sitting on her chest.

Gianna's symptoms, initially believed to be brain fog from long Covid, caused her grades to drop drastically.

She went from being a top student to struggling at the bottom of her class.

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Although Gianna recovered from her immediate symptoms, Rebecca said: “I didn't recognise the true impact until she went back to school in September.”

All of a sudden, she went from being a straight-A student to me crying and begging a teacher to pass her so she could graduate.
 
I started getting calls from her teachers saying, "She's one of our star students.

Now when she's in class, she's in la-la-land and just stares blankly out the window.”

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“She was becoming more and more detached and apathetic. She said 'I just feel lost'.”

At the beginning, Rebecca thought her daughter's behavior might be due to feeling unwell or upset because of the pandemic.

However, doctors have since confirmed that there is no connection between Gianna's condition and her previous Covid infection.

But when Gianna began distancing herself from her friends, neglecting her homework, and feeling exhausted upon returning home, Robertson made the decision to seek medical assistance.

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In june 2021, the doctors thought it could be stress and prescribed her antidepressants, but it didn't work.

“As the weeks went by, she started having more problems in school. The answer to any question started to be, ‘I don’t remember' the distraught Robertson recalled. “If she was asked why she hadn’t done her homework, she would say she didn’t remember.”

Over the next few years, she was unable to do simple household tasks like using a tin opener. Her abilities have declined, making it hard for her to do basic everyday activities.

As Gianna's condition worsened, she decided to take down all her childhood photos from her room.

When Rebecca asked why, Gianna explained that she couldn't remember the moments when those pictures were captured.

Gianna struggled to graduate from high school in June 2021, and Rebecca had to plead with her teachers to allow her to pass.

During Gianna's high school graduation, Robertson witnessed the extent of her daughter's memory loss.

While other students enthusiastically discussed their future plans, Gianna struggled to keep up, highlighting the severity of her condition.

“She just had eyes full of tears,” she said sadly. “She asked me, Aren’t I supposed to be excited? But she felt nothing.”

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As Gianna's condition continued to worsen without any signs of improvement, Rebecca made the decision to take her to a neurologist in November 2022.

It was during this visit that Gianna received a diagnosis of dementia.

Rebecca 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.”

According to the Childhood Dementia Initiative, childhood dementia occurs due to ongoing damage to the brain and is associated with more than 70 rare genetic disorders.

While there is currently no cure, treatment options for childhood dementia encompass medication, therapy, and nutritional services.