Days Of Our Lives Star Martha Madison Makes An Impassioned Plea!

Martha Madison didn’t just attend the Daytime Emmys when she came to Los Angeles earlier this month. The Days Of Our Lives star, who now resides in Texas, took part in a special seminar while in LA in order to raise awareness about a cause near and dear to her heart.

On May 3, the actress, an Emmy-nominee for her portrayal of DAYS’ Belle Black, was the keynote speaker at the annual AFTD (Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration) Education Conference in Los Angeles.

“This is the very first time I’ve ever shared all of it — the good, the bad and the ugly about my mom’s battle with this early onset form of dementia,” Madison said in her speech. “As you may have heard on @60minutes this past weekend, FTD is the most common form of dementia in people under 60 years old.

“This type of dementia is NOT Alzheimers — it is caused by the atrophy or degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain which control speech and behavior,” Madison continued. “It’s ‘the cruelest disease you’ve never heard of.’ – This is our story (and pretty much all you need to know about who I am today).”

Check out excerpts of Madison’s speech below in the Instagram post.

For more info check out the AFTD web page here.

Days Of Our Lives airs weekdays on NBC. Check local listings for air times.