IT should have been one of the most joyous moments of her life, but Rebecca Doig was tragically indifferent when she became a mother last week.

At just 31, Mrs Doig has rapid-onset Alzheimer's disease. She is one of the youngest sufferers in the world and the first to give birth, The Sunday Telegraph reports.

So fast has been her mental degeneration that the once-vibrant young woman, who found out she was expecting while having scans to investigate her memory loss, has little comprehension of giving birth.

Her healthy daughter Emily was delivered by caesarean section at Hornsby Hospital on Tuesday. Rebecca hasn't been able to hold her yet.

Husband Scott, who helplessly watched his wife's health deteriorate for nine months, now has the burden of caring for his child and a mother who can no longer care for herself.

"Emily is perfect," Mr Doig said. "She's a very beautiful little thing and very healthy.

"The road ahead is going to be extremely difficult - there's no two ways about it. We take every day as it comes because there is not a lot that we can do about it.

"If you sit there and start thinking about things, you will just get depressed. I can't do that because I've got a wife and now a little girl to look after."

Mrs Doig was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of Alzheimer's last August. She is believed to be the first female patient to be afflicted by it.

Emily does not carry her mother's defective PSEN1 gene that would have predisposed her to the condition.

Mrs Doig was an independent, outgoing and bright young woman until the disease began eating away at her brain. The signs first showed up when she kept losing her handbag and misplacing other items.

Originally diagnosed with depression, by 2008 she was losing jobs because of mistakes. She continued seeking work up until nine months ago when she was diagnosed.

The part of Mrs Doig's brain that controls emotion has shrunk, leaving her isolated from friends and family.

"It's hard to see your wife lose that," Mr Doig said. "Once she was so energetic and youthful. But she's my life and I'm not giving up on her."

The couple, who had planned to have children, are struggling financially with a mortgage, growing needs for care and only one wage. Mrs Doig has been refused a disability pension.

Mr Doig's colleagues at Hornsby Council have organised a fundraiser for the family next weekend.



