Former model B. Smith revealed that she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The 64-year-old restaurant owner, designer and decorator opened up to CBS News about her diagnosis saying that it made her "sad" but she was determined to stay positive.
Smith, who was often called "the black Martha Stewart," said that four years ago she noticed that she would forget things and kept repeating herself. She went to her doctor about her symptoms before she even said anything to her husband and business partner of 22 years, Dan Gasby, CBS reports.
Eventually Smith went to see a team of experts at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, including neurologist Dr. Martin Goldstein. In October, they did a special scan to look for amyloid, a sticky protein that damages nerves and is present in people who have Alzheimer's.
"It's everywhere," Dr. Goldstein said of the scan, CBS reports.
CBS said that when they spoke to Smith, she couldn't recall the date, month or year.
"Things like that make me very sad," she said.
However, Smith said she is determined to stay positive about her diagnosis and she has her husband to help her along the way. Gasby told CBS that Smith's Alzheimer's diagnosis brought them closer together and they will battle the disease together.
"I think the future's going to be fine," she said. "I'm going to do my best to make it work out for me and for as many people that I can possibly help, too."
Smith began as a model before venturing off into interior home decoration and the restaurant business. She was one of the first African Americans to land on the cover of Mademoiselle. In 1986, Smith opened her first restaurant in New York City and soon opened two more.
