Hamby Heads To Fayetteville Walk After Two APOE-4 Copies, Treatment Risks

Amy Hamby of Erwin faces a treatment decision that carries unusual risk: the same gene profile that raises her Alzheimer's risk 10 to 15 times also makes approved therapies riskier for her. She plans to take them anyway, she said, and will walk Saturday at the Fayetteville event.

Testing showed Hamby carries two copies of APOE-4, a variant associated with late-onset Alzheimer's. One copy multiplies a person's risk two to three times. Two copies can raise it as much as 10 to 15 times. Hamby was diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's in 2024 at age 59, and said she is waiting for treatment. "I am waiting for treatment, so if I can get those approved treatments are pretty risky for me because I have two copies of the gene, but it's worth it," she said.

Her father died in 2008. The family did not understand at the time that the illness had a genetic component. "I had no clue, even as a nurse, which sounds pretty dumb, but I had no clue that he carried the gene and that I would end up carrying the gene as well," Hamby said. Before her own diagnosis, she attributed her symptoms to "COVID brain fog." "Then a couple of years later, I thought, 'Something's not right,'" she recalled.

The Walk to End Alzheimer's draws hundreds to Fayetteville on Saturday. More than seven million Americans live with Alzheimer's, a figure covering roughly one in nine people age 65 and older in the United States. A diagnosis occurs every 65 seconds in the country.

Since her diagnosis, Hamby has lobbied in Raleigh on legislation supporting Alzheimer's research and care. She will wear a Team Poppy shirt Saturday, her father's family nickname. The walk starts at 9 a.m. at Segra Stadium, and registration remains open.

Daily life brings smaller friction. Hamby sometimes asks her children to repeat questions. She still cooks from a family recipe book and shares meals with her family. "I've got hopefully a lot of years with my children and I want to live life to the fullest," she said.