Olympic medalist speaks at Alzheimer’s Alliance of Smith County [Video]

TYLER, Texas — When former Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez was 16 years old, she qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics. After winning a gold team medal and an individual silver medal for beam at the Olympics, she went on to participate in “Dancing with the Stars” and won. Throughout this time, her grandmother, who Hernandez called “Yeya,” was experiencing health issues.

At the time she was selected for the Olympics, she did not know her grandmother had Alzheimer’s.

“It’s like grieving before the person passes,” Hernandez said. “It’s an odd experience with Alzheimer’s. I’m recognizing that this person is kind of shifting into a different person, but they’re still here.”