Imagine you’ve lived your life to the fullest. You’ve had a successful job, been a loving parent and spouse, done everything you ever wanted, and made lots of memories.

The problems start out small, forgetting to close the garage door, not brushing your teeth at night. Everyone, including yourself, brushes this off as old age, nothing to worry about. Slowly however, these forgetful spells begin to get worse, and more occur more frequently. There’s one night where you forget your own children’s names, and then what they look like. Faces become blurred, and memories become more and more obscured, you’re living in an unfamiliar world, where strangers constantly need to assist you. Little do you know, these strangers are actually people who have loved you your whole life, you just don’t remember them. Eventually, those decades upon decades of laughter and smiles become a foggy distant memory, lost in the abyss of your mind.

Sounds like a horrible nightmare. Unfortunately, over 5 million americans are living this nightmare right now. This nightmare, is known as Alzheimer’s disease, or senile dementia.

Holding its place as the 6th leading cause of death in the US, Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia, in which the brain’s cells slowly deteriorate, resulting in memory loss. Every 66 seconds, someone develops the disease, and it takes more lives than breast and prostate cancer combined.

However, there are more victims of Alzheimer’s than just those that have the disease themselves. Friends and family of the patient also suffer greatly. In addition to having a loved one forget who you are, Alzheimer’s costs families a lot of time, patience, and money. In 2016 alone, alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia will cost the nation 236 billion dollars, and about 18.1 billion hours of unpaid care are given each year, from about 15.9 million caregivers. And with one in every three seniors being afflicted with Alzheimer’s, there is a very high chance that almost everyone around you must make these sacrifices.

Sadly, despite all the efforts to fight it, due to the baby boom generation reaching the age where Alzheimer’s is most common, the amount of those affected has been increasing. Statistics show that by 2050, Alzheimer’s will develop in an american every 33 seconds, and the amount of direct victims could almost triple, going from a little over 5 million today, to between 14 and 16 million.

However, despite all these statistics, never lose sight of hope. New medical discoveries are being found every day, and one of them might lead to a cure or prevention. Even if you have a loved one who’s been afflicted with the disease, always remember who they used to be. Just because they’ve forgotten, doesn’t mean that you have to as well. Carrying our loved ones in our hearts, and making sure their stories aren’t lost by time is the best way to honor them. Because behind all that dementia, they’re still your family, and they still love you, no matter what.