Judy Benjamin (patient zero)

and her Walk Across America

Judy Benjamin, whose testimonial you read here, is an 80 year old former international development expert who was the first to commit to following the Bredesen Protocol. She now works as a coach for Alzheimer’s patients to help them implement the protocol into their lives.

In April 2025 Judy will begin her walk across America to raise awareness on the Bredesen protocol. Sharing her story is her way of helping others benefit as she has. Fourteen years ago she couldn’t remember a 4-digit number, her own phone number, her pets’ names, or how to find her way on the freeway. Today her brain is better than it was in her youth. What happened? By following the Bredesen protocol rigorously and making all the lifestyle changes necessary, she reversed her cognitive decline. She is convinced that she would be dead today had she not followed the protocol. Her passion to tell her story and help others is why she decided to walk across America.

Thanks to the support of a few sponsors, we anticipate she will appear nationally on TV talk shows and influencer podcasts to tell her personal story and raise funds to further support those who lack the financial means for treatment.

Testimonial: “Patient Zero

When I embarked on the Bredesen protocol I had no idea of the challenging journey that lay ahead, but I was eager to try anything that would stop the progression of the disease. My best friend knew of Dr. Bredesen’s research on reversing Alzheimer’s. She arranged for me to meet with him. I carried a small notebook to the meeting because I knew at that point in my illness, I would forget anything that I didn’t write down. I listened intently to Dr. Bredesen as he enthusiastically described his research – work he had dedicated his life to for over 30 years. He asked me about my situation and why I’d come to see him. Time flew by. We talked for hours while he described his theory, and the background leading up to his recent discoveries. I understand it now but at that time my brain was too damaged to process the information. But Dr. Bredesen’s simple analogy of the damaged brain being comparable to a leaky roof with 36 holes that needed to be plugged one by one made sense. He explained that Alzheimer’s is not one disease manifestation that a drug can fix but is rather a combination of numerous factors that have gone wrong. Most of the issues he described applied to me, some of which I was not aware of at that time. I told Dr. Bredesen that I was committed to following whatever he recommended. I knew he was my only hope. I left his office with a fire in my belly, determined to let nothing stand in my way of following the protocol. I was more than ready to get started.

At that time, I did not fully comprehend that I was the first patient to test his protocol. I have come to appreciate being known as “Patient Zero.” As other patients went on the protocol our group grew to ten. Nine of us were able to reverse cognitive impairment. A truly remarkable success given that until then no treatment had reversed cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Bredesen published the results of that small sample of ten in 2014. Since then, many other successful reversals have been documented using the Bredesen Protocol. I am honored to have been the first!