Thank you for reading my blog. Please go to the next post, How It All Began to begin reading the story of my husband Richard’s and my experience in living through Alzheimer’s Disease. Richard received the official diagnosis in October 2010. He sadly died on June 24, 2014 at the young age of sixty-seven years old.
Alzheimer’s Disease today affects over five million people in the United States alone. By the year 2025 it is estimated that over seven million people, sixty-five years and older, will be affected. Unlike cancer, which is also a devastating disease and heart disease, Alzheimer’s carry’s a death sentence once diagnosed. To date, there is no cure and no real effective treatment and the survival rate is zero. Care for people with Alzheimer’s Disease is overwhelming for the family members who find themselves in its grip.
As people live longer lives, we will be faced as a nation, if not the entire world, with the serious dilemma of how to care for this precious growing segment of our population as well as those who care for them. Our government through the National Institute for Health or NIH, has funded 4.8 billion dollars toward cancer research on average over the past six years, almost 2 billion dollars on cardiovascular disease and only a little over 500 million dollars for Alzheimer’s Research.
I make no secret and actually speak very loudly of the fact that I serve as a director on the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund board. Please go to their website to see the exciting work that is being done through the funding of some of the brightest scientific minds from around the world! Unlike many charities, 100% of every dollar donated to Cure Alzheimer’s Fund goes directly toward funding research. All administrative fees are paid for by the board members to make this possible. We are fighting every single day to find a way to bring an end to this devastating disease.
As you continue to read my posts, I will share with you what it is like for those who hear the doctor say, the tests are conclusive. You have Alzheimer’s Disease. While I desire to encourage those of you who will experience this disease first hand, I also hope to convey the absolute necessity of finding a cure so we can bring an end to it.
Thank you for reading and visiting my site! I hope and pray that together we will indeed save, if not ourselves our children, the absolute death sentence that accompanies Alzheimer’s. Please join me in fighting Alzheimer’s. Together, we have the ability to one day, file it away in the category of “past deadly diseases.” Go to curealzfund.org to find out how to help.