“I don’t want Alzheimer’s to become my entire identity,” Jeremy Scott tells PEOPLE. “I have Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s doesn’t have me”

NEED TO KNOW

• Jeremy Scott, a 47-year-old from Winter Garden, Fla., was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in September 2026
• With his wife and family by his side, he is adjusting his priorities while documenting his  journey online and in his book, The Path
• The father of six tells PEOPLE that he hopes sharing his story will help others feel less alone

At 47, Jeremy Scott never expected Alzheimer’s to become part of his story.

The father of six had spent more than 25 years in the automotive industry and was beginning a new career when years of unexplained struggles finally led to an early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis in September 2026.

Despite fear and disbelief, the diagnosis also brought answers — something Scott had spent years searching for. Now, he is choosing to focus less on what Alzheimer’s might take and more on what he still has to give.

“Early detection didn’t give me the ability to control Alzheimer’s, but it gave me something incredibly valuable: time to understand what I’m facing and decide what I want to do with that time,” Scott tells PEOPLE exclusively. 

@itsjeremyscottofficial

Last night, I finally received the news . What we feared has now become official: I’ve been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. There’s a lot to process—for me and for my family. But today, I’m choosing faith, movement, and hope. I’ll keep moving my body, getting the rest I need, keeping my brain active, and showing up each day. 🙏 There are still many conversations ahead about treatment and what comes next. For now, I’m taking it one step, one day, and one prayer at a time. With God’s help, we’ll keep moving forward. 💜 #Alzheimers #AlzheimersAwareness #EarlyOnsetAlzheimers #BrainHealth #Faith

♬ original sound – itsjeremyscottofficial

The signs had been there for years. Since 2018, Scott had been let go from four jobs for “performance-related reasons,” something that was difficult to understand after more than 25 years in an industry where he had spent much of his career in management.

“Things that used to come naturally started becoming harder,” Scott explains. “I would lose my train of thought, forget things, struggle to stay organized and have more difficulty keeping up with multiple responsibilities at once.”

When he changed careers in his mid-40s, moving into mortgage lending at the end of 2024, those challenges became even harder to manage.

He was learning an entirely new industry while essentially working for himself, and remembering new processes, managing his schedule and keeping everything organized became increasingly difficult.

Still, at the time, Scott looked for other explanations, including “stress, burnout, depression and anxiety.”

It wasn’t long before his family started noticing “something wasn’t right, too.” His wife and children were increasingly having to repeat things to him, sometimes only moments after telling him something.

Eventually, Scott saw a neurologist who specializes in memory care, and after a review of his health history, as well as a biomarker test, he received the answer he had been searching for: early-onset Alzheimer’s at 47.

The diagnosis was frightening, particularly because Scott did not fit the picture many people have of someone with Alzheimer’s. He was active, working out, raising children and building a new chapter of his life. Yet the diagnosis also brought an unexpected sense of clarity.

“I don’t know if there is a normal way to process something like that. Part of me was scared. Part of me was in disbelief. I’m 47…Alzheimer’s wasn’t supposed to be part of that picture,” Scott admits. “But there was also this strange sense of finally having an answer. I wasn’t imagining the changes. There was a reason things had become harder.”

Since his diagnosis, Scott has had to rethink what he expects from himself. He has stepped back professionally and shifted more of his attention toward his health and family.

“I exercise regularly, I’m working on my diet, keeping my blood pressure under control, staying mentally active and trying to manage stress,” he reveals. “I’m also working with a speech therapist on strategies for memory, communication and executive functioning.”

His medical history also complicates his treatment options. Since Scott previously suffered a brain hemorrhage and has microbleeds, he tells PEOPLE that some newer Alzheimer’s treatments may not be available to him. For now, he and his medical team are working through what makes sense for his individual situation.

Rather than searching for one solution, Scott has focused on the things he can control and on refusing to let the disease become his entire identity.

“I’ve learned pretty quickly that there isn’t one magic thing you do after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. For me, it’s about building the best team I can, taking care of my brain and body, and continuing to live my life,” he says. “I don’t want Alzheimer’s to become my entire identity. I have Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s doesn’t have me.”

That mindset has also changed what he considers important. Scott is spending more time with his six children and granddaughter, trying to be present for the everyday moments he once assumed would always be there.

“Before this diagnosis, like most people, I lived as if there would always be another day, another vacation, another dinner with my family, another chance to say what I wanted to say. Now I don’t take those moments for granted,” Scott emphasizes.

Scott’s strongest source of support has been his family, especially his wife, Angela, whose relationship with Scott began at one of the lowest points of his life. According to Scott, the first time she saw him in person, he was on life support following his 2021 brain hemorrhage.

“She has been beside me through my recovery, sobriety, rebuilding my life, finding my faith, changing careers, and now an Alzheimer’s diagnosis at 47,” he tells PEOPLE. “She knows the version of me I’m becoming, not just the person I used to be.”

Angela’s support also goes beyond helping him manage what he calls his “Dory moments”; she represents the life he has built since some of his darkest years.

“When this diagnosis came, she didn’t run from it. She’s learning about it with me. She helps me when I forget things. She’s patient when something needs to be repeated,” Scott says. “She’s there during the scary conversations about what our future might look like. And somehow, we still laugh. A lot. I don’t say this lightly: without Angela, I would not be a fraction of the man I am today.”

Scott is also determined to leave his family something that will remain long after individual memories become harder to hold onto. He is writing a book called The Path, documenting the experiences that shaped him, including the parts of his past that are difficult to revisit.

He says he has struggled with alcohol and drugs, made mistakes he is “not proud of” and nearly died after his brain hemorrhage — but also got sober, found his faith and began rebuilding lost relationships, including his relationship with his biological children.

He calls the person he has become “Jeremy 2.0,” and although he cannot undo the years he lost, he can only focus on moving forward.

“I’ve learned that your past isn’t something you have to hide from. Your past can show you how you got here. I don’t know exactly what the future holds for me, but I know my story isn’t finished. I’m still living it,” Scott says.

That same willingness to be honest about the difficult parts of his life has carried into the way he talks about Alzheimer’s. Rather than keeping his diagnosis private, Scott has invited people into the reality of what it means to face the disease at such a young age.

“When I posted the video announcing that I had Alzheimer’s at 47, I had no idea what was going to happen,” he admits. “That video ended up being viewed more than 350,000 times. But the number isn’t what has stuck with me. It’s the people.”

The response has connected him with people living with Alzheimer’s, caregivers, spouses and families, as well as others who have noticed changes in their own memory but have been afraid to seek answers.

“Social media can be an incredibly negative place, but somehow this diagnosis has helped me find a community there that has been overwhelmingly supportive,” Scott tells PEOPLE. “If sharing what I’m going through helps one person recognize something earlier, advocate for themselves, or simply feel less alone, then being this open about my journey is worth it.”

#Man #Thought #Forgetfulness #Due #Stress #Burnout #Real #Diagnosis #Left #Disbelief #Exclusive