'My Dad Has Alzheimer's': NJ Senator Opens Up About Heart-Wrenching Diagnosis (VIDEO)

It was just a few weeks ago when U.S. Sen. Andy Kim’s father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. And there’s one emotion that the New Jersey congressman remembers feeling above all else as he sat in the car alone that day: helplessness.

On Monday, Kim shared the news about his father’s recent medical diagnosis in a video statement. Watch it here, or view it below.

According to Kim, he is using the painful experience to shine some light on a struggle that many other New Jersey families are facing.

“I can't cure this disease, but if I'm going to go through hell with him and my family, I'm going to try to help as many people as I can along the way,” Kim said.

Here’s what the senator had to say in his video:

“Just a few weeks ago, my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I remember I was sitting in the car after dropping him off at his care facility where he lives, and I was alone. I honestly… I felt helpless. I remember the doctor telling me that my family, that we’re going to be looking after our dad … that, frankly, the next year or two are going to be a hell.

“Hell. That's what was said to us. In a blink of an eye, I had gone from being a son to being a caregiver.

“Let me rewind and tell you a bit about my dad. My dad immigrated to the United States from South Korea a little over 50 years ago. His immigrant story was one of searching for a better life for himself and his family. It's not unlike many others. Growing up, my dad had a tough life. He was born during the Korean War. He was born with polio. He suffered with that disability his whole life. But here in America, he got an opportunity. He is somebody that ended up getting a PhD in genetics and actually dedicated his life to trying to cure cancer and Alzheimer's.

“On the day of my dad's diagnosis, his doctor asked him questions to test his memory and asked him: ‘What did you do for a living? What job did you have?’ And my dad had no idea. You can't help but think that… you know… Alzheimer's won. My dad tried to cure Alzheimer's, but now Alzheimer's has erased all memory of my dad's work from his memory – from his mind.

“I felt really alone, but I also know that I wasn't, because there are millions of people like my dad out there, over seven million Americans right now living with Alzheimer's… dementia. And for every person struggling with Alzheimer's, there's a family, there's a community, there's a village of people struggling alongside that person, trying to figure out how to be able to give them the best care that they can.

“One in four caregivers for Alzheimer's falls into the ‘sandwich generation,’ which is what I feel constantly, as I got an 8-year-old, a 10-year-old – two little boys I'm looking after as I'm trying to also take care of now my aging parents.

“It's been a couple weeks since my dad's diagnosis, and I'll be honest, it's been an unbelievably challenging time for me and my family. There's not a day that goes by where I don't get some phone call from my father, some phone call from the center that he's at, about some challenges that he's facing… another fall, another health complication. I live in that constant anxiety.

“I can't help but think about the quiet moments in the car or in the doctor's office, where millions of other caregivers are hearing for the first time that their loved ones have been diagnosed. I can't help but think about the questions that they have – the feelings of being alone, of being powerless, of not knowing what to do or where to turn to.

“I'm not just a son or a father. I'm not just a caregiver. I'm privileged to be a United States Senator. But even in that position, I struggle with questions about Medicare and Medicaid, about health care, about support. If I'm struggling with that, what are others facing?

“Over the coming months, I'm going to be on a journey to answer the questions that ran through my head in the car on that day that we got the diagnosis. What will it take to cure this disease? Why is it so difficult for caregivers to look after the people they love? How are we supposed to afford this? Are we really alone in this fight? I can't finish my dad's life work. I can't cure this disease. But if I'm going to go through hell with him and my family, I'm going to try to help as many people as I can along the way.

“I'll talk to my family and try to come up with a plan, but it shouldn't be this hard. Yeah, there shouldn't be this much unknown. But I'll figure it out… I'll figure it out.”

• See Related: ZIP Codes In NJ May Affect Ability To Get Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
• See Related: Your Risk For Dementia May Be Based On Where You Live, Study Says
• See Related: NJ Man With Alzheimer's Works To End Its Stigma
• See Related: Free Medicare-Backed Program For Dementia Launches In Essex County

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