Since the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in 2019, a A woman from Colorado she refused to give in to the disease – and 4½ years later, she’s still mentally sharp and almost symptom-free.
dr. Rebecca Chopp, who is married with three sons, was 67 when she was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease.
At the time, Chopp thought everything was normal – except for the fact that she was sleeping more than usual.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Then, at her annual doctor’s visit, she mentioned that she got lost on the way to her appointment, which prompted her doctor to run some tests.
ALZHEIMER’S RISK REDUCED AMONG WOMEN WHO GO ON DASH DIET IN THEIR 40S, STUDY SHOWS
Ultimately, an MRI and PET scan led to Chopp’s diagnosis.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Now, looking back, I realize there were signs I wasn’t educated about and didn’t pay attention to until I got very smart General Practitioner M.D let’s put two and two together,” she told Fox News Digital in an interview via Zoom.
Since being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2019, Rebecca Chopp from Colorado refuses to give in to the disease. One of her favorite activities now is painting – something she never considered before. (Rebecca Chopp)
Among those missed signs was withdrawal from social activities, Chopp said.
“I suddenly stopped wanting to go to all the galas and dinners that came with my job,” she said, referring to her position as chancellor of the University of Denver. – I just somehow wanted to withdraw into myself.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NEW DEMENTIA DRUG ‘GAVE ME HOPE’: ALZHEIMER’S PATIENTS REVEAL THEIR STORIES
She also had a little more trouble with work tasks, but at first she attributed it to getting older or tired.
“About six out of 10 Americans, even when they see the signs, they just don’t want to get that diagnosis because they think it will immediately lead to end-stage disease,” Chopp said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}At first, Chopp was devastated by the idea of leaving her distinguished academic career — and the possibility of missing out on all the retirement activities she had planned with her husband.
Chopp (pictured) follows the MIND diet, which is a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH diets. (Rebecca Chopp)
Chopp also had a mental image of her mother and both grandmothers — who all died of Alzheimer’s disease after being diagnosed late.
“So when she told me, my husband and I were devastated — it was just an abyss for us,” she recalled.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After Chopp’s initial shock and sadness, she said she faced another challenge when her neurologist gave her little information or guidance.
ASK THE DOCTOR: ‘HOW CAN I REDUCE THE RISK OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE?’ HERE ARE 3 TIPS
“She told me that in three years I wouldn’t be able to button my own shirt or feed myself,” Chopp recalled.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Then another neurologist gave a brighter perspective. This neurologist told Chopp that in light of new research and lifestyle changes, people with Alzheimer’s disease could live up to 20 years – and could slow the progression of their symptoms.
This encouraged her to take control of her illness and get her life back.
Chopp was photographed hiking a mountain in Colorado with her husband, Fred Thibodeau. Physical activity is a regular part of Chopp’s routine. (Rebecca Chopp)
Lakelyn Hogan Eichenberger, Ph.D., gerontologist and care advocate for Home Instead in Omaha, Nebraskathey agreed that lifestyle choices are important for health in later life.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Although there is no single food that can reduce the risk, a balanced diet is important for reducing the risk of cognitive decline in later life,” she told Fox News Digital. “DASH and the Mediterranean diet have been shown to be most effective.”
ALZHEIMER’S RISK REDUCED AMONG WOMEN WHO GO ON DASH DIET IN THEIR 40S, STUDY SHOWS
“Besides nutrition, Dr important lifestyle factors include regular exercise, quality sleep, stress management, keeping the brain engaged and maintaining social connections.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chopp shared with Fox News Digital what she calls the “four pillars” of her fight against Alzheimer’s.
1. Feeding the brain with optimal nutrition
Chopp follows the MIND diet, which is a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH diets.
Exercise has also proven to be a great way to fuel her creativity, said Chopp, who just finished writing a book about her Alzheimer’s journey. (Rebecca Chopp)
dr. Martha Clare Morris and colleagues at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health and Rush University Medical Center first introduced the diet in 2015 as a way to promote brain health in the elderly.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“It also includes extra blueberries, walnuts, lots of salmon, sardines, avocados — foods that we know are good for the brain,” Chopp told Fox News Digital.
8 BIGGEST MYTHS ABOUT ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE — AND THE TRUTHS BEHIND THEM
She also cut out processed foods, as they have been shown to cause inflammation in the brain that contributes to Alzheimer’s symptoms.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I wish I knew about the importance of nutrition when I was 40 years old,” she said.
2. Movement for the benefit of the mind
Exercise has been shown to help prevent cognitive decline and slow related symptoms.
“Exercise flushes the brain with good chemicals and literally creates some kind of protein that can develop that part of the brain where your memories are,” Chopp said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I began to realize that I could live with joy, that I could live well, that I could live in a state of constant awe and have a great quality of life.”
Physical activity is a regular part of Chopp’s routine. It was also the perfect excuse for her to get a puppy – one she’d wanted for 25 years.
“I walk my dog, maybe an hour and a half a day, and I also do strength training,” she said.
Chopp also does kickboxing, ballet and yoga — activities that engage the brain and body.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Exercise has been shown to help prevent cognitive decline and slow related symptoms. Chopp is pictured here with his dog. (Rebecca Chopp)
Exercise also proved to be a great way to stimulate her creativity, said Chopp, who just graduated writing a book about his journey with Alzheimer’s disease.
“The only way I could write it with Alzheimer’s for 11 months was if I worked on it for two hours every day after my morning walk with my dog,” she said. “It was amazing how much better my concentration was.”
3. To live with joy and awe
One piece of advice from another neurologist who stayed with Chopp: was to “live with joy.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Attitude is key in life,” she told Fox News Digital. “When you’re faced with this fate of devastating news, at first you kind of go into a dark underworld – but when I started to realize that I can live with joy, that I can live well, that I can live in a state of constant awe and an excellent quality of life, my attitude became a lot better.”
INCREDIBLE FINANCIAL COST OF DEMENTIA IS REVEALED IN NEW REPORT: THESE ARE ‘BANKRUPT FAMILIES’
For many Alzheimer’s patients, Chopp said, the diagnosis causes them to “become grumpy” and withdraw from society.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chopp urges them to follow her lead and refuse to surrender.
“Mostly I live with joy,” she said. “Now I have time for it spend with your husband, who patiently put up with my work from 14 to 16 hours a day. I spend time with my family and friends.”
Since her diagnosis, Chopp has looked for creative endeavors to keep her brain sharp, including painting. (Rebecca Chopp)
Chopp also embraced advocacy efforts for support Alzheimer’s research and healing, which allowed her to meet many other people traveling the same path.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}As a member of the National Early Stage Advisory Group, she works to help others live their best lives after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
“It gave me a tremendous sense of purpose,” Chopp said. “And I think we all know how comforting that is, to be encouraged, to cry with each other, to know that you’re not alone.”
4. Acceptance of creativity
Since her diagnosis, Chopp has looked for ways to pursue creative endeavors to keep her brain sharp.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In addition to writing, she began to paint – something she had not considered before.
“To live a brain-healthy lifestyle, whether you’re worried about Alzheimer’s or not, you have to tap into that creative side.”
“One of the things another neurologist told me is that I need to engage the other side of my brain, that I can form new neural pathways through creativity,” Chopp told Fox News Digital.
An artist friend took Chopp to the mountains and taught him to paint. Now, several years later, he paints professional portraits.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Still Me by Dr. Rebecca Chopp will be available in early 2024, with pre-orders beginning in November. “Everyone and every brain is unique,” she said. (Rebecca Chopp)
“But it doesn’t matter how good you are — you can draw, you can dance, you can garden, you can woodwork,” she said.
“To live a brain-healthy lifestyle, whether you’re worried about Alzheimer’s or not, you have to tap into that creative side.”
These days, Choppa’s doctors are “very pleased” with how her lifestyle interventions have slowed the progression of her disease.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“It’s really important to educate yourself about the disease and its progression. Ask for help and support from others and refuse to give up.”
“The last time I was in the doctor’s office, which was three weeks ago, the neurologists told me that I was almost the same as I was three or four years ago,” she said.
Chopp realizes that won’t always be the case — but what she’s doing is working, and she said she’s not the only one.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I learned that there is so much more you can do,” she said. “It’s really important to educate yourself about the disease and its progression. Ask for help and support from others and refuse to give up.”
“Everyone and every brain is unique,” she told Fox News Digital. “But I think almost everyone will be able to delay the rapid progression of these symptoms with their lifestyle and medical treatments.”
Chopp’s book, Still Me: Accepting Alzheimer’s Without Losing Yourself, published by MFF Publishing (Morgridge Family Foundation), will be available through Amazon and other outlets in February, with pre-orders beginning in November.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Before Chopp’s diagnosis, she was a multi-published author and editor, an ordained priest and a noted academic in the fields of education, philosophy, religion and feminism, according to the foundation.
Prior to her role as the 18th chancellor of the University of Denver, she held leadership positions at Swarthmore College, Colgate University, Emory University and Yale University.
