Why Alzheimer's?

I don’t believe my mom “battled” Alzheimer’s. That word carries the assumption that one can win a battle — and there was no winning this one. So I say she suffered from Alzheimer’s for more than 20 years.

Mom started showing symptoms that I noticed at age 48. She was officially diagnosed at 53 and lived until she was 69.

People would say things like, “Thank G-d she’s healthy.” But what G-d were they thanking? The last five years were torture. It wasn’t about her not knowing who we were. It was about her no longer knowing how to walk, eat, bathe, toilet, speak, or exist independently.

Thankfully, my dad could afford at-home care, and I could afford the time to help manage it. Not everyone has that privilege.

I want “battle” to be the word we use moving forward — but the battle is finding the cure.

Please join me in raising money for the Alzheimer’s Association, an organization that was paramount in helping us hold onto our sanity throughout the journey with my mom.