Help Make a Difference

January 11, 2016

Let’s start by playing a word game! I’m going to type a word and I want you to say the first word that pops into your head.

Are you ready?

Okay then, here we go…

Alzheimer’s.

What word popped into your head?

Grandmother? Grandfather? Maybe it was Dad or Mom? Or maybe it was husband or wife? No matter which of these words popped into your head, the fact is that we are all headed down the road of life and for most of us we will come to relate Alzheimer’s to our own family.

So let’s stop for a moment and face a truth together.

Let’s say quietly to ourselves,

“I am getting older, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Go ahead and let that sink in. Let the fact that someday when you look in the mirror and you’re going to see someone with a few more miles on their face staring back at you, and you will wonder where it’s all gone. You will wonder how the years sped by so fast and how in the world did you accomplish so much in the short period of time on this earth.

Now imagine for a moment that you can’t remember? You can’t remember who your family and friends are or why you need to put your shoes on before going out to the mailbox. You don’t recognize the people who come to visit you and you have no idea as to why there’s an elderly person staring at you each time you look out the window, when in fact you’re starring in the mirror. If you’re like me that’s a terrifying thought, but for millions of people around the world it is a far too familiar experience because they have Alzheimer’s. They have a disease so cruel that it literally strips away who they are by taking the memories that made up their essence.

In my profession, I visit a number of different memory care facilities and present options for clinical trials that may be available to help combat Alzheimer’s so I have met a wide range of Alzheimer’s victims. I can tell you from first-hand experience that this disease needs to be stopped, prevented, and eradicated from existence. And it starts with those of us who can still make a choice. It starts with you and me making an effort to get involved and volunteer to be a part of the effort to find a cure. It starts with caregivers who are willing to let those suffering from the disease to take part in a clinical trial to help advance the medication needed to combat this disease.

If you notice before I wrote that I have met a wide range of Alzheimer’s victims. I use the word victim because the day has yet to come where we can proudly wear a purple shirt stating “Alzheimer’s Survivor”. The cold truth is that  there is no cure and there is no way to stop this disease once it starts, but wouldn’t it be great if there was? Wouldn’t it be amazing to see your favorite sports team wearing purple in support of Alzheimer’s research? Wouldn’t we all stand up and cheer as the first group of Alzheimer SURVIVORS cross the finish line at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s?

Take the time to do your part, no matter how small that part might be, to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s. Not all of us can donate money or volunteer to take part in a clinical trial, but we can all share the need for a cure.  Start by maybe sharing this post or sharing your story. In the end it really doesn’t matter where you start just as long as you start.