NEW PALESTINE – When Darlene Bradley participates in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s next Saturday in downtown Indianapolis, she’ll be doing so for all the people like herself who are battling the disease.
She’ll also do it for those who will be diagnosed in the future, and the people who love them.
The New Palestine woman is a living testament to how advances in medicine can enhance and prolong life for those living with Alzheimer’s, a brain disorder that slowly impairs memory, behavior and thinking skills, eventually making it difficult to perform basic tasks.
Bradley, 63, was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s in 2017 at the age of 56.
Since then she’s been advocating for treatment as well as a cure.
Wanting to tackle her prognosis head on, Bradley didn’t hesitate to sign up for a drug trial in which she underwent monthly injections for five years, from 2018-2023, something she’s certain drastically slowed the progression of her disease.
While the Alzheimer’s Association states that most people with Alzheimer’s live an average of four to eight years after diagnosis, Bradley is feeling strong and confident nearly seven years after being diagnosed.
“I feel like I’m declining slowly but still doing very well,” she said Friday morning, seated in the cozy living room of the home she’s shared with her husband, Mike, for the past 38 years.
Since she was diagnosed, both she and her husband have been passionate supporters of the Alzheimer’s Association, raising funds for the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s and sometimes traveling out of state to spread awareness or learn about the latest updates on the disease.
Purple Power
Nearly every day Bradley wears the color purple – which has become synonymous with Alzheimer’s’s awareness.
“It’s a simple conversation starter,” said Bradley, who never hesitates to lend a listening ear or word of encouragement for others dealing with the disease.
“I like to think I’ve helped a lot of people by talking to them and making them feel more comfortable,” she said, wearing a purple top and matching striped socks, with a purple watch and bracelets on her wrists.
As an advocate through the Alzheimer’s Association and a member of an early stage advisory group, she takes every opportunity to educate others about new treatments and ways families can tackle the progression of the disease.
Bradley said she’s blessed to have unwavering support from her husband and their four children and 12 grandkids, all of whom fit around the extra long dining room table Mike built back in 2015.
“It was a God thing because we didn’t know how big our family would become back then, but it seats exactly 22 people, and that’s exactly how many people in our family now,” said Bradley, who also has a tree swing and zipline, along with bikes for each grandchild, lined up in her backyard.
Surrounding herself with family has been essential in her fight against Alzheimer’s, she said.
Although her own father died from Alzheimer’s at the age of 82 nine years ago and her mother died from complications of the disease in 2023 at 87, it still came as a shock when Bradley herself was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 56.
She and her husband had both begun to notice her memory slipping over time – like getting mixed up on directions, forgetting dinner plans and not knowing which day it was – which led her to getting assessed and then diagnosed with the degenerative illness.
“I knew in my heart I had Alzheimer’s because I was having trouble at work,” recalls Bradley, who worked nearly 30 years in sales for Anthem.
Bradley had always prided herself on being a top performer in the workplace, but she noticed she was increasingly have trouble remembering simple things.
“I had always had a really good memory, but one day I had an appointment on my calendar that said ‘Susie at 10 o’clock,’ and I couldn’t remember who Susie was or where I was supposed to be at 10,” she recalled.
When Susie eventually emailed her, Bradley never divulged she had forgotten who she was, but the incident further convinced her that something was really wrong.
As her productivity diminished her bosses eventually gave her a demotion, “which I think was even harder on them than it was on me, because we were like family,” recalled Bradley, who eventually retired on good terms with her bosses and teammates in 2017.
Seeking support
While coming to terms with the possibility of having dementia can be scary, Bradley encourages those who think they may have impaired functioning to not be embarrassed about seeking a diagnosis.
“I’m disappointed that I’ve met a number of people who are afraid to admit they have it, and are afraid to seek treatment,” she said.
She remembers one day in particular when she stopped in a dress shop to look at a pretty purple dress, only to strike up a conversation about Alzheimer’s and learn that the sales clerk had been diagnosed, too. Yet she told Bradley she wasn’t willing to do any treatments.
Despite leaving the clerk her name and number and the name of her own neurologist, Bradley never heard from her again.
“That just makes me sad, because there are treatments out there that are helpful,” said Bradley, who says she’s living proof.
While she doesn’t currently qualify for any ongoing trials, she’s grateful every day for the drug study she feels certain “tremendously” slowed the progression of her disease.
“The plaque on my brain is no longer measurable,” she said proudly. “My neurologist says it will come back but it will be another five to ten years, so that’s wonderfully positive, but I don’t qualify for any more treatment yet, so that’s kind of a double edged sword,”
Devoting much of her life to supporting fellow Alzheimer’s patients while spreading awareness and fighting for a cure keeps her focused on moving forward, she said.
“(As a Christian) we’re to be thankful for everything, so it was tough to be thankful for Alzheimer’s, but I’m helping to develop a cure which will help my family, because having been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s’s means I have passed it on to them,” she said.
Spreading awareness
Bradley knows first hand that caring for someone with Alzheimer’s is no walk in the park. She said she’ll never forget the day her own father – who was always fiercely protective of his kids – tried to bite her as she was directing which way he walked with his walker as he was battling the disease.
Bradley offers some simple advice to those who love someone with any form of dementia: “Just continue to love your loved ones and encourage them to seek treatment and support, and seek support for yourself too, because I know it’s tough dealing with a loved one with Alzheimer’s,” she said.
Her husband Mike – who dutifully sets out his wife’s medications every morning and every night – agrees that it’s essential for caregivers to also care for themselves.
“You’ve got to take time for yourself, to do something that brings you joy,” he said.
As for her personal journey, Bradley said she’ll continue to focus on living a healthy lifestyle – which is recommended to slow the progression of the disease – and will take every opportunity to continue advocating while living life to the fullest.
She and her husband love to travel, and are already planning a fun trip for all 22 family members to take in 2026, when he turns 70 and she turns 65.
“I certainly feel that there’s hope in my future,” she said.
For more information on next weekend’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s, held in Indianapolis on Saturday, Sept. 28, visit act.alz.org/Indianapolis.
To support Bradley’s personal team, visit the Bradley Best Walk Team page at act.alz.org/goto/BradleyBest.
