What is Lewy Body Dementia? 'Survivor: The Amazon' contestant Roger Sexton dead at 76
WALLA WALLA, WASHINGTON: 'Survivor' contestant Roger Sexton has died at age 76 after fighting a brief long battle with dementia. Roger Sexton died in late October at his daughter's home in Walla Walla, Washington in the presence of family and caretakers confirmed Sexton's family members on Thursday, November 10, according to TMZ.
Sexton was featured on season six of 'Survivor' way back in 2003, which was filmed in Brazil near the Amazon River. He was known as one of the most remarkable players on the show. In the sixth season of the show, initially, men and women were divided into competing tribes, and Sexton rose in ranks to lead the men's team before the groups were eventually merged and only ten contestants remained.
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Sexton lasted in the show for an impressive 21 days out of the show's 39 days in Amazon after he was voted off of the show when the women's team convinced several of the male contestants from his own to vote him out. Sexton's obituary states that he was born in Oakland, California, and grew up in the Bay Area before enlisting in the Marines and serving in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967. His obituary also states that his death follows "a valiant and courageous battle with Lewy Body Dementia."
Sexton shared a great passion for hiking, skiing, and biking through nature and was a lover of the outdoors. He married Diane Rodrick in 1968 and tragically lost his daughter Heather in 1992 when she died of viral pneumonia. He is survived by his wife Diane, his daughter Amy and her husband Brian Evensen, his grandchildren Drew and Hadley Evensen, and his sisters Pamela Mills and Patricia Markowitz, as reported Daily Mail.
What is Lewy Body Dementia?
Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), also known as Lewy body dementia is the second most common type of dementia behind Alzheimer's disease. It occurs when protein deposits, known as Lewy bodies, begin to accumulate in nerve cells in the brain, which negatively affects both cognitive and motor abilities. These deposits affect chemicals in the brain whose changes, in turn, can lead to problems with thinking, movement, behavior, and mood. The most common symptoms include visual hallucinations or seeing things that are not present, unpredictable changes in concentration, attention, alertness, and wakefulness from day to day and sometimes throughout the day, severe loss of thinking abilities that interfere with daily activities, reported NIH.
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