NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin revealed his wife is suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s. Here’s what that means
Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin discussed his wife’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, a condition that disproportionately affects Black Americans.
When Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer wide receiver Michael Irvin revealed his wife’s early onset Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis earlier this month, he brought an urgent topic for Black Americans to the forefront.
Irvin, 58, first publicly revealed the news about his wife Sandy, 58, to patrons at his Playmakers88 sports bar in The Colony, Texas, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. The NFL analyst said his wife has been dealing with the disease for the last five or six years and experiences several challenges, including difficulty walking and speaking. She now requires 24-hour care with a live-in caretaker.
Despite her struggles with the disease, Irvin said he has “no intention” of putting his wife in an assisted living facility, no matter the potential cost.
“If anyone has earned the right to stay in her house, my wife has,” Irvin told the publication. “That I shall honor. No matter what it takes.”
Irvin and his wife met while attending the University of Miami. They have been together for 39 years and married for the last 34.
Early-onset Alzheimer’s is diagnosed when symptoms of the condition occur before the age of 65, most commonly in a person’s 40s or 50s. However, this version of Alzheimer’s is much rarer, leaving many physicians puzzled as to how it manifests. Furthermore, it’s challenging for officials to conclude how common early-onset is for Black Americans because of the severe disparities in both research and adequate screening for Black patients.
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Nevertheless, what is known is that Alzheimer’s disease, a condition that, over time, deteriorates a person’s memory and impacts the brain’s ability to remember how to perform basic functions, disproportionately affects Black Americans. Black people are twice as likely than their white counterparts to develop the disease.
There isn’t much data that pinpoints exactly why the condition appears to be more common in Black Americans, though some medical experts theorize the higher vulnerability of Black communities could be related to a systemic lack of access to decent healthcare, environment, and potentially, genetics.
Some health officials, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have warned that Alzheimer’s diagnoses may be showing signs of increasing. Presently, roughly seven million people over age 65 are suffering from the condition, with 14% of them being Black (as compared to 10% white patients); a number slightly higher than the overall percentage of Black people in America. The CDC projects the overall figure could more than double by 2060.
Since a clear or predominant risk factor has yet to be formally identified, Alzheimer’s prevention has also proven tricky. A study conducted by the CDC found eight potential lifestyle risk factors, including high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes, depression, smoking, hearing loss, and binge drinking, but even unexpected activities like nose-picking have been theorized to potentially raise Alzheimer’s risks.
