Brittany Snow reveals father's heartbreaking battle with Alzheimer's disease
Brittany Snow has opened up about her father's battle with Alzheimer's disease.
During an interview for the Broad Ideas podcast on Monday, the Pitch Perfect star told hosts Rachel Bilson and Olivia Allen that her dad John Snow, 85, was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease "a really long time" ago.
Brittany noted that she and her father were very close and "best friends" but his health has deteriorated over the past decade.
"I've actually never shared this before, but I feel compelled to, I guess, now. My dad has been dealing with Alzheimer's for a really long time. And my dad and I are, like, probably the closest of my family. There is no home in that way," she said, explaining that there is no more physical touch between her and her dad as a result of the disease.
"I get to realise what I love about him and appreciate each thing about these tiny little moments that then get lost. Although it's quite sad, it's so much better of a gift than it happening suddenly."
Brittany described getting to grieve the loss of her father in a slow way as "really beautiful" at times.
"Leaving is really hard, and there's a part of my brain that says, 'You should just stay forever.' The thing that I need to really wrestle with is I still have to come and live my life," the 38-year-old continued. "He would want me to."
But the actress sometimes tries to compensate for her dad's slow decline in other relationships.
"I'm losing something, and so I try to make up for it with other people," she admitted.
To conclude, Brittany emphasised that she hopes speaking out about her dad's diagnosis will help others who may be experiencing similar situations.
"There are so many people who have gone through this with their parents or grandparents and it's a baffling disease to witness," the Parachute director added. "I think it's really, really interesting and beautiful to get to see someone who is still there, but just a different version of themselves."