Family wants to create memories for girl with 'childhood Alzheimer's'

A DEVASTATED mum has shared the symptoms of 'childhood Alzheimer's' as her daughter was diagnosed with a rare syndrome at just five years old.

- by ELLIE FAWCETT & ABIGAIL NEEP

Alisha Morris, from Crediton, noticed that her daughter, Esmay Ford, stopped speaking just two years after she was born happy and healthy.

"Esmay, as a toddler, was full of life, enjoying conversations, park playtime, dancing and social interactions," said her grandmother, Sabrina Peake.

Esmay was diagnosed with Sanfilippo syndrome (MPS IIIA) on May 15. It is a rare and terminal genetic form of childhood dementia that leads to neurodegeneration, including memory loss and personality alterations.

Alisha, 24, started to worry when Esmay suddenly stopped speaking and began frequently "picking up colds" in 2021.

Sabrina said: "We knew something was wrong when she stopped talking, and then her hair started to fall out in big clumps.

"When her hair started to fall out, we took her to A&E and had to really push for answers."