In a NYT Parenting column, writer Lizzie Skurnick draws parallels between watching her 6-year-old son grow older while, at the same time, her 75-year-old mother loses her cognitive abilities to FTD.

Skurnick shares how her mother, who was a professor and physician, was diagnosed with FTD around the same time as her son’s birth. She describes the progression of her mother’s condition in comparison to her son’s development, recalling moments when they both seemed to have the same interests, cognitive abilities, and command of language.

Skurnick also talks about how her mother’s diagnosis and son’s own experience with a medical condition have placed herself and her father in similar caregiver situations. Her story offers a unique and personal perspective about the impacts of FTD and highlights how the disease affects both persons diagnosed and their families.

Click here to read the column on the NYT Parenting website.