SUMMERFIELD, N.C. — For Tim Snider of Summerfield, his mother Tamra is one of his biggest influences.
“She had such great advice for me throughout my life and always helped me believe in myself,” Snider said. “I remember her; the pep talks she would give me were just huge."
As the holder of two master's degrees, Snider's mother worked in the school system for more than 30 years. He said her fiery and go-getter attitude took a turn after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
“It is this slow tearing away that is so difficult,” Snider said. “Seeing this person lose themselves and you losing them over this period of time, and they just fade away into somebody that they are not. They're just a hollow shell of themselves and because they're still there, you still want that relationship, but you can't have it."
Snider and his father became his mother's primary caregivers until her passing in 2019.
“I would have liked to have had five more years for her to see my daughter get married, or for her to see this child born,” Snider said. “There are just certain key points in your life you would have liked to have that loved one around for. I would have loved to have mom around a little bit longer."
A new drug approved by the FDA has the potential to give families more time. The drug marketed as Leqembi, changes the course of Alzheimer's by slowing its progression in the early stages.
Katherine Lambert is the CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Western Carolina Chapter. She said this development is exciting news.
“This approval obviously is not the be all end all cure, this is a way to slow the progression of the disease and give people more time with their loved ones, more independent living and for anyone who has been through this disease know that is of critical importance, and you can’t put a price tag on that,” Lambert said.
While the drug is a breakthrough, Lambert said there are some setbacks.
“The current CMS, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has only offered coverage for this class of drugs for those who are enrolled in a clinical trial,” Lambert said. “There is a limited number of those across the country and the price of these drugs is high, and folks can pay out of pocket, but we know that significantly limits the number of individuals who would have access to this drug."
As the association works to have CMS remove this requirement for coverage, Snider emphasizes the importance of early detection.
“I hope that this will help families enjoy their family members longer, that a lot of us who have already gone through it didn't get to," Snider said.
This is the second approved drug that changes the course of Alzheimer's.