A Tennessee father-of-four has died just eight months after contracting the so-called 'human form of mad cow disease'.
Tony Gibson, 33, passed away at a nursing home in Hendersonville on January 30, with his wife Danielle, 31, and two sets of twin girls, ages 11 and two, by his side.
Last year, doctors told Tony he had developed a degenerative brain disease caused by the same infectious proteins that trigger the infamous 'mad cow disease' in animals and that he wouldn't survive more than a year.
Danielle told DailyMail.com that in the final two months of her husband's life, he was struggling to walk, talk and even eat.
Three days before her husband died, Danielle is seen singing Tony's favorite hymn Amazing Grace to him in Facebook
Tony Gibson, 33 (pictured, December 24), from Lebanon, Tennessee, died just eight months after contracting a the so-called human form of mad cow disease
In December 2017, Tony noticed a decline in his cognitive skills. He and his wife Danielle visited Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville four months after symptoms appeared in hopes of learning answers. Pictured: Tony with his daughters, left and right
'He was having trouble swallowing in the last week. It got to where he would refuse anything and shake his head: "No",' Danielle said.
'The doctors told me it was just the process of the body shutting down. It was so hard to see because Tony is so strong; he's such a big guy.'
Danielle told DailyMail.com last year that, in December 2017, Tony, an iron worker, started forgetting how to get around his home.
'He would say: "I'm going to the bathroom" and I would say: "That's not the bathroom",' she said.
'So I started labeling every room in the house. And that lasted about a month until he couldn't read anymore.'
Tony's condition started to deteriorate even more. He would go to the neighbor's home to take care of the 'his dog' - even though he and Danielle don't have a dog.
He would lie in bed with Danielle and tell her he wanted to have kids with her - even though they were raising four children together.
It got so bad that he would get lost while running errands, so Danielle didn't let him drive anymore.
The couple traveled to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville from their home in Lebanon four months after the symptoms started, and Danielle was convinced he was suffering from dementia.
After a month of tests, Tony (pictured, with his wife, Danielle) was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
CJD is a rare, degenerative brain disorder that is caused by coming into contact with tissue that has been infected, such as eating contaminated meat. Pictured: Tony and his wife Danielle
Danielle says she doesn't know how her husband contracted CJD and doctors say he is one of the youngest patients they've ever seen. Pictured: Tony, left, and Danielle before his diagnosis
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, degenerative brain disorder.
It is caused by abnormal proteins known as prions.
Prions are normally harmless but, when misshapen, they become infectious and create lesions,
Sufferers contract CJD by coming into contact with tissue that has been infected, such as eating contaminated meat.
About one in a million people worldwide become infected, with just 350 annual cases occurring in the US.
Symptoms, which worsen rapidly over time, include:
Loss of intellect and memory Personality changes Loss of
