TAMPA — November marks National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, nearly 7 million people in the U.S. are living with the disease. It’s a staggering number that includes early-onset Alzheimer’s.

“People think this is an old person’s disease and it’s not. Unfortunately we have over 200,000 Americans who have been diagnosed who are under the age of 65,” said Makeba Huntington-Symons, a program manager with the association’s Florida chapter.

Among the early signs are memory loss that disrupts daily life and difficulty completing familiar tasks.

Kathleen Mack’s husband, Michael, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s six years ago, just before his 61st birthday.

“Just little things like he would leave the door open or the cabinets open, and I remember somebody saying, 'That’s just the age as long as his keys aren’t found in the freezer,'” Kathleen recalled. “Eventually he did. I found some stuff in the freezer.”

Pinpointing what was wrong took time. Kathleen was only in her 50s then and Michael wasn’t even close to retiring.

“When it comes down to it and I really do think about it, I get mad,” Kathleen said. “I’m frustrated because we were just now robbed of  growing old together.”

The Mack family wanted to share their story on behalf of the Alzheimer’s Association, as a way to bring more awareness to the disease.

“It’s important for everyone to become educated as to what this disease could entail and how younger people could develop Alzheimer’s,” said Huntington.

The Alzheimer’s Association has a number of resources available to help families, including a 24-7 helpline.