{
  "id": 476351,
  "title": "Woman Notices Mom Struggling With Her Memory, Months Later She Was Gone",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/woman-notices-mom-struggling-with-her-memory-months-later-she-was-gone",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-10T13:38:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Newsweek",
    "slug": "newsweek",
    "url": "https://www.newsweek.com/woman-notices-mom-struggling-with-her-memory-months-later-she-was-gone-12302939"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A woman discovered her mother was suffering from a rare and lethal brain condition after a COVID-19 infection triggered symptoms. Jillian Cohen, 43, learned her mother Shirley Rowe, 71, had developed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) months after the initial warning signs in December 2024. Rowe, a loving figure who supported her daughter's Girl Scout activities, sewing talent, and school events, showed signs of confusion during a family gathering. Her health rapidly deteriorated over the following weeks, with Rowe unable to eat and displaying disorientation. After testing, it was confirmed she had CJD, a fatal brain disorder that leads to dementia symptoms and rapid decline. Rowe's death followed shortly after her diagnosis on May 7, 2025. CJD, characterized by memory loss, dementia, impaired thinking, and cognitive impairment, typically results in death within a year. Cohen, a self-employed filmmaker, is now using social media to spread awareness about CJD and educate others on the early signs.",
  "summary": "Shirley Rowe seemed to be showing the signs of age at first, but her health deteriorated rapidly following a rare diagnosis.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}