JUDY BENJAMIN (PATIENT ZERO)
AND HER WALK ACROSS AMERICAJudy 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 guidelines he set forth, knowing he was my final hope. I left his office feeling highly motivated, resolute that absolutely nothing would prevent me from strictly adhering to the protocol.
At that initial stage, I didn't fully realize that I was the very first patient to test his methods. I have since come to deeply appreciate my title as "Patient Zero." As more individuals joined our protocol group, the cohort expanded to ten. Remarkably, nine out of ten of us successfully reversed our cognitive impairment—an astonishing achievement considering there was previously no known treatment capable of reversing cognitive decline in this disease. The doctor published the results of that small initial sample in 2014. Since that time, a vast number of other successful recoveries have been formally documented globally. I consider it a profound honor to have been the very first!