I've heard that Alzheimer's Disease is caused by a specific gene that only certain individuals carry. I've heard that Alzheimer's is more likely to occur in communities that have higher amounts of nickel and iron in their water supply. I've also heard that Alzheimer's is completely random. Since my Grandmother passed away from this wicked disease in 2008, I have heard it all. I have heavily researched causes, treatments, and risk factors for this disease. While I do not know everything about Alzheimer's Disease, I do know this: There needs to be more awareness, research, and funding for Alzheimer's Disease.
There are currently 5.1 million Americans living with this Alzheimer's, and that number is growing daily. No gender, socioeconomic class, religion, or race is immune to this disease. This means that there are 5,100,000 people living in America who cannot recognize their closest family members. These 5,100,000 people are more than just a number. They are parents forgetting their own children and spouses forgetting the love of their life. They are Grandparents, like my Grandma Lo, who have forgotten the names of their grandchildren.
Alzheimer's Disease is more than these statistics. It is more than the thousands of family members taking care of a loved one with disease and more than the amazingly patient nurses who go to work loving these patients daily. It is more than a frightening diagnosis. This is what it is like to love and lose someone to Alzheimer's:
June, 2004: It started with confusing the television remote with the phone, so Grandpa took some nail polish and painted the remote red. It was little things like this at first. This happened in June.
July, 2005: We went to Florida as a family. We went on a boat ride, spent time on the beach, and laughed together. Grandma had good days and bad days, but the good days still outweighed the bad.
September, 2005: She started forgetting where she placed her cigarettes. She forgot to look both ways when she crossed the street.
October, 2005: She quit calling me before school to talk about what picture we should draw - a game we called "Phone color." She quit being able to sit through my brother's basketball games without forgetting where she was.
November, 2005: It was terrifying to watch the doctor ask her to spell simple words. She would forget what she was spelling by the third letter. Just months earlier, she had been helping me learn the same words for my spelling tests.
December, 2005: She could no longer recite her own address when the neurologist asked her to tell him where she lived. I watched her eyes fill with tears as she grew more and more frustrated with her memory. She had lived at the same house for 11 years, but could not even recall the street name.
February, 2006: My Grandmother moved into the first of three nursing homes. Her good days were happening farther and father in between, and it pained my Grandpa to no longer be able to care for her at home.
In January of 2008, my Grandmother did not recognize herself in the mirror. She did not remember how to shower, how to eat, or even how to swallow.
I cannot tell you how heartbreaking it was for me to watch my Grandpa, her husband of 53 years, visit her daily only to have to retell her who he was and how much he loved her.
I cannot tell you how frightening it was when the woman who had been my best friend since as long as I could remember, looked me in the eyes and asked who I was. My heart physically hurts when I remember how badly I wanted her to just remember my name.
This is Alzheimer's Disease. Alzheimer's is millions of grandchildren around the country remembering the precious memories that their grandparents have forgotten. Alzheimer's is millions of people like my Mother who lost their parents too soon.
It is time that we talk about this disease. It is time that we remember those family members that we promised we'd never forget and stand up to raise money for a cure. Every dollar makes a difference when it comes to raising money to find a cure to Alzheimer's Disease. If you like to support me as I walk for my Grandma Lo and the 5 million Americans currently living with this horrendous disease, please donate today at http://act.alz.org/site/
