September 3, 2026

For Gail Youngdale, an Alzheimer’s diagnosis once brought fear, uncertainty and a growing loss of independence.

Today, she is celebrating something very different: renewed memories, a new marriage and the chance to give hope to other families facing the disease.

Gail Youngdale and Phil Mercer / KSAT.com

Youngdale’s progress has been remarkable.

After being diagnosed with progressive Alzheimer’s disease, she began treatment with lecanemab, an experimental medication at the time that is sold under the brand name Leqembi.

Her daughter, Teri Youngdale, says the results have been astonishing.

Scans once showed nine areas of amyloid plaque in Gail’s brain, a substance associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Now, those areas are no longer showing the plaque, and doctors have not seen it beginning to return.

“She had nine different spots of amyloid plaque in her brain,” Teri said. “She doesn’t have any plaque at all anymore.”

Gail knows her journey is not over. She says she has not regained every memory, but she has regained much of what she had lost.

“I don’t have all of my memory back, but most of it,” she said.

And while her treatment has given her renewed hope, another unexpected gift entered her life along the way.

Love.

Gail and Phil Mercer actually met when they were in junior high school. They never dated during high school, although they did attend a formal dance together.

“When I needed an escort and asked him, he didn’t hesitate,” Gail recalled.

Decades passed. Both eventually lost their spouses, and the two crossed paths again at a high school reunion.

That reunion changed everything.

“That night at the reunion, Gail kissed me,” Phil said, laughing.

The childhood friends reconnected, fell in love and eventually married. They recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary.

Now, Phil is not only Gail’s husband, but also an important part of her support system as she continues navigating life with Alzheimer’s.

“I’m glad to help Gail and to help her with her journey to help other people,” he said.

For Teri, seeing her mother in this new chapter is especially meaningful. She remembers how much anxiety and stress filled everyday life as Gail’s Alzheimer’s progressed.

Now, her mother’s story is being shared nationally as part of a public awareness campaign for World Alzheimer’s Month, helping shine a light on Alzheimer’s research and the continuing search for better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.