Video captured the special moment 87-year-old with Alzheimer's remembered her daughter

Alzheimer's has become one of the most feared and soul-destroying disease of our age

Alzheimer's is a progressive disease that slowly strips the patient of his or her memory until even their beloved children become strangers. The tragedy is that this disease robs both the victim and their family of the mutual comfort that love and shared memories bring.

Kelly Gunderson has been living that heartbreak since her 87-year-old mother, Daphne Tresher was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, reported Today.

Gunderson has been striving to reach her mother and has made several recordings of her efforts. Time after time, the recordings show Daphne's bewildered stare. Then, one day something astonishing happened.

Gunderson was lying next to her mother on her bed, and in a moment of clarity, her mother recognizes her, speaks her name and tells her she loves her.

“I had been taping her, just asking her questions or singing, ‘Jesus Loves Me'. That morning, I was just lying in bed with her, and we were just talking, and I decided to do a selfie video.”

Gunderson posted the touching 90-second video online and it went viral, garnering more than 9.000.000 views. She feels the video's popularity reflects the growing awareness of the plight of families afflicted by Alzheimers' Disease.

The Alzheimer’s Association spokeswoman Ruth Drew was deeply moved by the video, as was Lisa Genova.

Genova holds a doctoral degree in neuroscience from Harvard University and is the author of the best-selling novel “Still Alice,” whose protagonist is diagnosed with the disease at age 50.

The book’s movie adaptation was a box-office hit, and the part of Alice won Julianne Moore an Academy Award for Best Actress.

In the early stages of the disease, people repeat themselves, and slowly lose their short-term memory, explained Genova, but the past is fresh and present. As the disease progresses, flashes of lucidity can sometimes occur, and it is these precious moments that comfort the families of the victims of this terrible disease.