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By Lucy Notarantonio
Senior Reporter
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Before watching this viral video of a mother and daughter bonding after a devastating dementia diagnosis, you might want to grab some tissues.
Ten years ago, Valerie Clifford was hit by a car while she was riding her bike. After a week in hospital, she was discharged and medics believed her traumatic brain injury would heal. Sadly, this hasn't happened and Valerie's memory has slowly deteriorated.
In February this year, the 60-year-old mom was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which is the same condition that Hollywood actor Bruce Willis has. It can occur when nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain are lost.
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Her 26-year-old daughter, Channing, told Newsweek: "Her scan showed a complete lack of tissue in her frontal lobe, which we were told was equivalent to a 90-year-old woman."
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Channing, who lives in New York, explained that her mom was never quite the same after the accident. Her "out of character" behavior was dismissed by doctors, who said it was a result of a brain injury, but in the last three years the family grew even more concerned about Valerie.
She told Newsweek: "We felt like that was just not right considering how much her behavior had shifted and how she struggled to remember people's names even though she had known them for a long time.
"We went to another doctor that had then diagnosed her with a form of bipolar, which did explain her sudden shift in behavior, but not her memory issues."
After many tests, the family received the devastating diagnosis and Valerie has since moved into an assisted living facility, which is an hour away from Channing.
Since then, Channing has been documenting her "favorite memories" with her mom. Last month, she shared a montage of clips to TikTok using the handle @channingsands and racked up 3.8 million views.
The precious moments include painting her mother's nails, hugging, going out to dinner, and doing her makeup. Valerie says at the end of the tearjerking video: "How did I get so lucky to be your mama," which she has said throughout Channing's life.
She told Newsweek: "It has been a difficult year for me and my family. It's hard watching someone who raised you and gave you everything fall apart right in front of your eyes.
"She did so much for us, now it's our turn to repay the favor and take care of her.
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"Thankfully with the care and proper medication that she is now on has levelled out her sporadic behavior. I am only trying to look at the positive side of this, I feel like it has allowed me and my two brothers to reunite with the mom we had been missing all those years.
"She was, and still is the type of mother that would give up everything she had to make the world a better place for her children, so now it is our turn to repay the favor."
While FTD gets worse over time, Channing praises her mom, who worked in advertising, for being a "fighter." According to the Alzheimer's Association, this type of dementia affects 50,000 to 60,000 people per year in the United States.
FTD can affect behavior, personality, language and movement, according to Hopkin's Medicine.
"She is an incredible mom and it is heartbreaking to see her slowly disappear from us. Sharing this on social media was hard for me but for some reason, one day I just got the feeling that her story needed to be shared. It just felt right."
So far, the video has over 263,000 likes, and Channing told Newsweek: "I learned to capture moments through pictures and videos from my mom. Her famous quote with family and friends is "take a picture."
"I wanted to always be able to look back at memories of her because sometimes you get so caught up in the care taking, you forget to breathe and take in the memories while you care."
The clip has amassed more than 3,700 comments. One user pointed out: "The amount of love in both your eyes!!"
"Having a mom go through neurological problems is not for the weak but has moments of such sweetness - praying for you," said one user.
"Your mom is the best piano teacher my daughters ever had. We're sending so much love to you both. You're an angel of a daughter," praised another user.
Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
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