The First Survivors of Alzheimer's

Kristin s Story: Zero is Far From Nothing
 
The Buck Institute for Research on Aging sits high on a hill overlooking the rolling landscape of beautiful Marin County, north of San Francisco. I was nervous. I had no idea of the challenging journey that lay ahead, but I was eager to try anything that would stop the progression of the disease. The receptionist directed me to Dr. Bredesen s office. I carried a small notebook because I knew I would forget anything that I didn t write down. I listened intently to Dr. Bredesen as he enthusiastically described his research work he had dedicated his life to for over thirty years. He asked me about my situation and why I d come to see him. Time flew by. We talked for hours while he described his theory and the background leading up to his recent discoveries. I understand it now, but at that time my brain was too damaged to process the information. But Dr. Bredesen s simple analogy of the damaged brain being comparable to a leaky roof with thirty-six holes that needed to be plugged one by one made sense. He explained that Alzheimer s is not one disease manifestation that a drug can fix but is rather a combination of numerous factors that have gone wrong. Most of the issues he described applied to me, some of which I was not aware of at that time. I told Dr. Bredesen that I was committed to following whatever he recommended. I knew he was my only hope. I left his office with a fire in my belly, determined to let nothing stand in my way of following the protocol. I was more than ready to get started.
 
At that time, I did not fully comprehend that I was the first patient to test his protocol. I have come to appreciate being known as Patient Zero. As other patients went on the protocol, our group grew to ten. Nine of us were able to reverse cognitive impairment. A truly remarkable success given that until then no treatment had reversed cognitive decline in Alzheimer s disease.
 
With Dr. Bredesen

Dale E. Bredesen, M.D., is internationally recognized as an expert in the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, and the author of the New York Times bestsellers The End of Alzheimer's (Avery, 2017) and The End of Alzheimer's Program (Avery, 2020), as well as The First Survivors of Alzheimer s (Avery, 2021). He has held faculty positions at UC San Francisco, UCLA, and the University of California San Diego, and directed the Program on Aging at the Burnham Institute before coming to the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in 1998 as its founding president and CEO. He is currently a professor at UCLA.

"Perhaps the most important quality for Alzheimer s patients and their families is hope, and in The First Survivors of Alzheimer s, seven survivors offer genuine hope, both with their poignant stories and with their descriptions of the protocol details that led to their own successes. This is an inspiring book for the millions dealing with the challenges of cognitive decline and for those who want to prevent it." Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO, Thrive Global

"Dr. Bredesen takes us beyond the scientific validation of his program to reveal the depth of the personal narrative of those brave and pioneering individuals who chose to participate in his vanguard, approach to their illness... Although it challenged them and their loved ones to the core, they were rewarded with recovery." David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, Board-certified neurologist, author, #1 New York Times bestseller, Grain Brain and Brain Wash

"In The First Survivors of Alzheimer s, 7 patients describe their struggles and ultimate triumphs, using the protocol developed by Dr. Bredesen. This book restores hopes for the millions of families impacted by Alzheimer's!" Terry Wahls, MD and author The Wahls Protocol

"Amazing success stories of Alzheimer's patients that have been victorious in using the revolutionary program that the author, renowned neurology scientist and clinical innovator,  Dr. Dale Bredesen has developed. This is a must read for all those that have heard that Alzheimer s is an untreatable disease." Jeffrey Bland, PhD, FACN, FACB, President of Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute and Founder of Institute for Functional Medicine
 
"In his new book, The First Survivors of Alzheimer s, Dr. Dale Bredesen continues to amaze and hearten readers who are either suffering from memory issues, have a loved one with memory issues, or have been told that they carry the Apo E 4 gene, and that it is only a matter of time until memory loss