Mum, 34, who thought she had post-natal depression diagnosed with dementia

A young mum was diagnosed with a rare form of dementia after believing she was suffering from post-natal depression following the birth of her daughter.

Holly Braithwaite is believed to be one of the youngest people in the UK to be suffering from Frontotemporal dementia (FTD). She began to notice her symptoms in 2019 but believed at the time that they were linked to the recent birth of her daughter Alba or a thyroid problem she had already been diagnosed with.

Her "broken-hearted" friends, Sophie Poulton, 33, and Kayleigh Spooner, 34, completed an eight-mile charity walk in honour of her. The event saw more than 80 people join in on the trek while raising £7,000 for Rare Dementia Support, Teesside Live reports.

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The service was funded by The National Brain Appeal and it became a lifeline for Holly, husband Alex and her mother Chris following the devastating diagnosis. Sophie, who also now helps care for Holly, said: "It took a while for Holly to get a proper diagnosis.

"After several different tests and scans it was confirmed it was Frontotemporal Dementia. We were so shocked when were heard it was a form of dementia. Holly’s so sharp, even now, she will know dates, birthdays, what we did on nights out when we were younger.

"That’s the surprising thing about FTD and some of these rarer forms of dementia. It’s not about memory loss and it can happen to younger people.”

Frontotemporal dementia is an extremely rare form of dementia which causes problems with behaviour, personality and language. It affects the fronts sides of the brains and can affect anyone, including people in their thirties, forties, and fifties.

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