Dr Mehmet Oz, host of the popular Dr Oz television show, has revealed that he missed the warning signs of his mother's Alzheimer's disease, despite covering the condition extensively on the show.
Oz posted the heartbreaking message online, writing: "I recently found out that my mom, Suna, has Alzheimer's disease.
"Hearing the official diagnosis was devastating. But just as painful for me was the realisation that the signs were there all along — I had just been overlooking them.
"When my mom's stubbornness increased, I simply blamed it on her getting older. My sister noticed she started doing her makeup differently for the first time in 60 years, but kept it to herself.
"When my mom started giving some of her belongings away to people she barely knew, I thought she was just trying to lighten her load following my father's passing. But these seemingly subtle changes were in fact the first indicators of Alzheimer's."
His mother's diagnosis comes seven months after Oz lost his father, Mustafa, who was 93.
Oz told People magazine that he is "frustrated and mad" at himself for missing the signs of his mother's illness.
"Alzheimer's is like a snake in the grass," he said. "You don't see it. You only see the effects of it suddenly. And if there's a wind blowing the grass, you don't even notice the grass moving strangely. It sneaks up on you.
"The woman that I love whose bright eyes were there for every experience I've ever had as a child — those eyes are starting to dim. The light that made her who she was is starting to go out."
He said the process was "painful" because "I end up losing my mom twice".
After making the revelation, Oz went on Instagram to make suggestions on how people can reduce their risk of developing dementia.
Oz revealed on his website that he underwent genetic testing after his mother's diagnosis and found that he was one of the population that carries the APOE4 gene, which puts him at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's.
He stressed that the revelation doesn't mean he will develop dementia, writing that "your genes are not your destiny" and vowing to make lifestyle changes to lower his risk, urging others to do the same.