The Wall Street Journal highlighted how persons with varying types of young-onset dementia, including FTD, are challenging assumptions about dementia by publicly advocating for themselves in an Oct. 12 article.

Arnold Beresh, a 68-year-old former podiatrist, told the Journal that receiving a diagnosis of young-onset FTD in 2015 and subsequently losing his podiatry practice felt like “crashing into a wall. I went from working 60 hours a week to zero.”

Now, Beresh works with the Michigan Dementia Coalition and the National Council of Dementia Minds, meeting with groups to answer questions about living with dementia. “It helps keep some of my world straight, and it gives me a sense of purpose,” he said.

Like Beresh, Theresa Montgomery, 65, of Duluth, Ga. shared how keeps herself active and involved in dementia advocacy work despite her young-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

“I don’t want to have this, but I have to accept it,” said Montgomery. “But I always keep something on my plate. You know what? I got a purpose. You know what? I have a life. You know what? I can still do things.”

Read the full Wall Street Journal article here.