Mum-of-22 Sue Radford reveals earth-shattering diagnosis after Noel notices she becomes quiet and distant
BRITAIN'S biggest family has been sent into chaos after mum-of-22, Sue Radford, revealed a shock diagnosis.
The matriarch of the bumper brood Sue announced the earth-shattering news on this week's episode of 22 Kids and Counting.
This happened after husband Noel, 54, noticed that his wife, who is usually chatty and loud, hadn't been her usual self for some time, leaving him concerned.
''I'm a bit worried about Sue, she's been really quiet today which isn't like her. She's always like chatty, bubbly. Doesn't seem the usual Sue.
''So I'm a little bit like 'What's going on?'''
Desperate to find out what's been bothering Sue, 49, and why she's become so distant, the pie master arranged a coffee date with the mum-of-22 - however, she never turned up.
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The episode, which was streamed on Channel 5, also saw Sue's daughter Sophie, 31, take her mum to a beauty clinic in a desperate attempt to cheer her up.
But it wasn't until later when Noel stumbled across leaflets about dementia in their family vehicle that the patriarch found out what had been on Sue's mind.
Confronting his wife, Noel didn't wait a second and asked: ''What's been going on?''
''I am sorry, it's been awful,'' exhausted Sue said.
''But now she's told the family, I can tell you.''
Sue then broke the news that a lifelong friend of Sue's been diagnosed with an early onset dementia - which the friend of the couple hadn't yet told everyone in the family.
The condition, often described as robbing people of their ability to think, learn and remember, is the country’s leading cause of death, and there's currently no cure.
More than 70,800 people are estimated to be living with young-onset dementia in the UK.
Common early symptoms of dementia
Different types of dementia can affect people differently, and everyone will experience symptoms in their own way.
However, there are some common early symptoms that may appear some time before a diagnosis of dementia. , these include:
- memory loss
- difficulty concentrating
- finding it hard to carry out familiar daily tasks, such as getting confused over the correct change when shopping
- struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word
- being confused about time and place
- mood changes.
''It is devastating news,'' said Noel who had thought the leaflets were meant for his wife.
''I knew there was something. I had all sorts of things going through my mind, thinking 'Is it Sue? Something's seriously wrong'.''
Sue, who was still in total disbelief, said that their friend was her age.
''It's really upset me, especially when she's got youngish children as well. You don't expect that, do you?
''You kind of think, don't you, that it's something you get when you're maybe 70, 80 - it's not something you think of in your late 40s, is it?
''It's knocked me for six. I feel like 'Wow, that could happen to anybody, couldn't it?''
''It just shows you how fragile life is,'' Noel reminded.
After visiting the friend, who Sue has known for years, the mother-of-22 said she was ''dealing with it all okay''.
''She's very bubbly, a big personality and she's not the sort of person who will let things get to her.
''But you can tell that she's worried about it.
''If you couldn't remember, you know, like Heidi, Bonnie, Archie, whoever's names, it'd just be heartbreaking,'' emotional Sue said.
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''It's a bit of a reality check to see 'You know what, it can happen to anybody, can't it?'
''You don't know what's around the corner.