photo by Dennis Dalman
Sandy Oltz of Sartell discovered 15 months ago she is suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. She is continued to do tests to find out if the disease, in her case, has a genetic factor. Oltz is determined to learn all she can about the disease and to share her knowledge with others. 

When Sandy Oltz’s two sons found a brassiere in their sock drawer, they thought their mother must be playing some kind of goofy joke on them.

When they teased her about it, she was just as much surprised as they were.

“How did that end up in a sock drawer?” she pondered.

They all laughed it off.

At about that same time, two years ago, Sandy’s husband, Rodney, was stunned one day to learn several bills had not been paid – something Sandy had always been impeccable about, paying all the bills on time.

In the coming days and weeks, a very unsettling feeling began to sink into the Oltz family. Something was not quite right with Sandy. She had become alarmingly forgetful – not at all like her normal self.

Sandy went to the doctor, who was as baffled as she was. The diagnoses were merely guesses in the dark.

Mini-strokes? Seizures? Depression? Some chemical imbalances going on? After never-ending frustration as to the cause of her forgetfulness, Sandy was referred to the Mayo Clinic. There, after a solid week of testing 15 months ago, the grim diagnosis was announced: early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. At the age of 45, Sandy was stunned to hear the news. She, like most people, assumed Alzheimer’s occurred only in “old” people. But she was also, oddly, relieved because she finally knew what the problem was and that she was not “going nuts,” as she had begun to fear.

It’s not surprising her doctor did not know what she was suffering from. That’s because most doctors receive no more than two or three hours of information about the signs of Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, many of its symptoms do not necessarily point to Alzheimer’s. A lack of public awareness about the disease compounds the problem. Even though it is the sixth cause of death among older people, it receives a pittance in federal funding. And like cancer, which not many years ago was so dreaded that people hushed it up or went into states of denial, Alzheimer’s, which can wipe out even one’s ability to recognize loved ones, is so awful to most people, they tend not to want to even think about it ever happening to them or someone they love. That stigma is difficult to break, and that is why the Alzheimer’s Association is working so hard to bring light to the murky darkness that surrounds the disease. Sandy Oltz, who is a member of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Sartell, was a main speaker during a 90-minute seminar on Alzheimer’s disease at the church gathering place.

(See related story.) About 50 people, mostly older, attended the session, which was sponsored and presented by Carol Thelen, director of the St. Cloud-based Alzheimer’s Association. It was co-sponsored by the St. Francis Health and Wellness group with help from Deb Paul, recent past president of the Sartell Area Chamber of Commerce.

Other speakers included Sartell dance instructor Shelly Teff and two of her female students who love to visit Alzheimer’s patients, along with Teff, at the Good Shepherd Home in Sauk Rapids.

The audience members were visibly moved by Oltz’s low-key but powerful testimony; they gave her rounds of warm applause. She has courageously discussed her disease on many occasions, glad to be able to help people learn about the disease – about what it is and what it isn’t. For years, Oltz worked in the heath field, as a medical aide at the St. Cloud Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic and at CentraCare. She earned her registered-nursing degree shortly before she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Sharing information about health issues just comes natural for Oltz. She doesn’t evince an ounce of self-pity; she has no time for that; instead she has learned to use humor as a healthy defense mechanism, and she invites the audience to laugh right along with her when she shares her stories of memory-loss incidents, like the brassiere in the sock drawer.

In some cases, Alzheimer’s disease has a strong genetic factor. Oltz will soon undergo some testing at the Mayo Clinic to find out if, in fact, her Alzheimer’s has that genetic basis. There are so far seven genes that have been identified as possible triggers for the disease, and three of those genes are strong triggers. Those who inherit those three genes are almost certain to get the disease sooner or later throughout their lives.

Oltz’s father died of Alzheimer’s. She recalled vividly how he, a baker, could remember every detail of his daily life and his work, but later he had to rely on stick-it notes everywhere, cluttering up his life. Oltz’s mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at age 65, and her grandmother died of it at age 99.

Oltz takes two medications for the disease, which help but will not slow down the course of the disease. So far, there is no cure, and there is nothing that will delay its sinister progression. Like many people, Oltz and her loved ones are hoping and praying for a cure. Scientists are making great strides in understanding the disease and its triggers, but more funding is needed at the federal level. Recently, Pres. Barack Obama announced a major offensive against Alzheimer’s, including the formation of a group of experts to study it. The group’s goal is to find a cure by 2025 and, hopefully, maybe even five years sooner.