DES MOINES, Iowa – An Iowan is on a mission to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s and share his experience with the disease.

Luke McLaughlin first sat down with WHO 13’s Calyn Thompson in February and told her what it’s like living with early-onset Alzheimer’s.

“The way the disease works, time is expanded,” McLaughlin said. “So an hour feels like three hours. Three hours feels like six. So the days are long.”

Seven months have gone by since then, and Luke’s disease is progressing.

“I’m seeing diminishing returns,” McLaughlin explained. “And I thought that those symptoms would plateau, but I’m still seeing a downward on that graph of no memory.”

It’s hard for Luke to recall when he moved back to Iowa from Texas. During the interview, his brother and sister-in-law had to remind him it was around his 50th birthday

The milestone also marked a point in the disease where Luke could no longer live alone.

“I don’t remember when I made that decision,” McLaughlin said. “I have no recollection of it, but I just had this energy in me that said, ‘hey, it’s time to it’s time to go back.’”

Going back to Iowa allowed Luke to reconnect with family and friends, as well as move in with his brother.

“Well, the house is definitely more lively,” Shannon McLaughlin, Luke’s brother, said. “I mean he’s just fun to be around. And you know, not just for us but for the kids.”

Luke’s sister-in-law, Jenn McLaughlin, agreed: “He’s brought a lot of happiness, a lot of love and happiness to our house.” 

Happiness is the goal for a family that knows what is still to come, the assistance Luke will need, and the care that will be required. They’ve been through Alzheimer’s before.

“Five consecutive generations has afflicted our family which is just unbelievable,” McLaughlin said. 

Which is why Luke made it his mentality: he’s here for a good time, not a long time. 

“I’m focusing on living in the moment and not feeling sorry for myself,” McLaughlin said.

He also chose to share his moments in a documentary called “Forgetting to Remember.” 

For the past year, a film crew has gathered footage of a man living with a disease that doesn’t care about timelines.

“My most immediate goal is to get this finished as quickly as possible so that I get to watch it next to him in the theater,” Brent Roberts, director of The New Road Productions, said. “Because I don’t want him to forget we made a movie together.”

Roberts said so far, they’ve raised almost $20,000. More than $75,000 is still needed to get it done.

“Any amount will help,” Jenn McLaughlin said, “and this documentary needs to get to the people.”

To give people a raw look at Alzheimer’s.

“If we can’t find a cure,” Luke McLaughlin said, “it’s horrible.”

And allow this father, brother, and son to leave behind a powerful legacy.

“Luke knows that the end of his story is going to go only a few ways,” Roberts said. “The hope that is coming as we race to a cure might not be for him, but the beautiful thing…is he wants this hope to be there for future generations, a younger Luke.”

You can learn more about the documentary and contribute to the project by clicking here. 

Like last year, Luke will be the mission speaker at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Des Moines this Saturday, September 27. You can sign up for the event here.