In this episode of Ghosted, I sit down with Isabella to talk about losing her dad to early-onset Alzheimer’s, a diagnosis that came when he was just 47 years old.
Isabella shares what it’s like to grieve someone who is still alive, the slow and heartbreaking process of watching a parent decline, the anticipatory grief that starts years before death, and the loneliness of navigating a disease people don’t always recognize as sickness, especially when someone is young.
We talk about her and her mom’s fierce advocacy, traveling to DC year after year to fight for awareness and funding, and how caregiving reshaped their family. Isabella reflects on the milestones her dad wasn’t there for, including her wedding, and how grief evolves as life keeps moving forward, especially after becoming a mother herself.
At the heart of this conversation is love. This is a conversation about loss, advocacy, invisible grief, and finding meaning in the most unfair circumstances.
