Alzheimer’s disease is a tragic condition that robs one of their great moments in life.
Categorized as a progressive disorder, Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, causing a continual decline in a person’s thinking, as well as in their behavioral and social skills.
According to Alzheimer’s Disease International, a person develops dementia every three seconds. As of 2015, nearly 47 million people around the world were living with the condition. By 2050, however, scientists expect the number to increase to 130 million— nearly triple what it is now.
Caring for a relative with dementia can be difficult. As the disease progresses, individuals can grow suspicious of friends and family members. Due do behavioral changes, they may even act aggressively.
It’s truly a heartbreaking scenario— one that Simon McDermott decided to make the most of.
Ted McDermott, Simon’s father, had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease several years ago.
In his heyday, Ted had been a talented musician with a knack for remembering song lyrics. His musical memory earned him the nickname ‘Songaminute Man’ for the impressive amount of songs he could perform offhand.
As a musician, Ted spent years traveling and singing in clubs. Eventually, however, he got married and started a family, falling away from the from the performance life.
After initially being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Ted’s condition continued to worsen. This was hard on the whole family, but 2015 was a particularly bad year. In an interview with the Pride of Britain Awards, Simon recalled:
“He started forgetting who I was and who Mum was.”
“He also started getting extreme aggression. That was the crisis point.”
Despite Ted’s increasing isolation from the world around him, he continued to sing his favorite songs at home.
One day, during a family drive in the country, Simon played one of Ted’s old baking tracks. “We played them all day, and he was really happy singing along,” the son recalled.
“I recorded it because it was such a nice day after a horrible year.”
When Simon got home, he posted a video of he and his father singing Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Quando Quando Quando” to Facebook.
What followed was a dose of viral celebrity that changed his and his father’s life.
The father-son duet has been viewed nearly five million times. Simon took the opportunity to create a fundraiser. He wanted to fund an album for Ted, vouching to donate 25% of all proceeds to the Alzheimer’s Society.
In the end, the two achieved much more than their goal. Sales from Ted’s album raised more than £130,000 (roughly $167,000 USD) for the Alzheimer’s Society, with one of his songs going on to become a Top 10 hit.
In 2016, they were honored with a Pride of Britain award for the inspiring way they’ve raised awareness about Alzheimer’s disease.
The experience has been a blessing for the entire family. “After his diagnosis, we all though there we just dark days ahead. We didn’t see any escape,” Simon revealed in 2016.
Since then, however, this experience has given them hope.
On December 31. 2018, Simon wrote: “Dad’s illness marches on which is the reason why we’re so quiet— but we’re still here and still singing.”
“There will still be dark days, but this has given us some light.”
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