88 another voice in the AD world (guest speaker here)

This is from an email sent to me by a woman who runs the Unforgettable Fund. She is very wise and with her permission I will be posting some of her comments now and again.

Hi Bert,
They ran a big article on the Unforgettable Fund today in our local paper.
Having been in advertising for my entire career, I always laugh when
"experts" say a plan is needed. If that were the case, all these great
"plans" would have solved the ills of the world already. Truth is, plans are
simple, you can buy them. Beating Alzheimer's takes much more than a plan. It takes something much harder than a plan. What it takes is the truth. And the truth is, without people suffering from the effects of Alzheimer's facing the fact it's going to take money, and time, and energy, and strength, and gritted teeth to beat this disease, it will remain unstoppable, untreatable and a death sentence.

Either we pay now, or we'll be paying later. I believe the world is full of
people like you and me. And when given the chance to put their money where
their mouth is, no matter how small the contribution, they will do so.

Alzheimer's is like no other disease. With cancer, with diabetes, with high
blood pressure, with manic depression, there are survivors. There are people
who beat the odds, no matter how stiff. Everyone with Alzheimer's dies. And before they do they lose their minds. Each and every one. There is no
deviation.

The eleven years I went through I lost something more every day. I will not
lose another thing to Alzheimer's. And neither should you. You have a
wonderful quote about beating Alzheimer's with a bat. I hear you.

If you keep an open mind, which I believe you have, this disease will teach
you more about fighting than anything else. I do NOT like to be held captive
by anything, especially love for a dying man. But I was incapable of doing
more than just watching him lose everything. I bathed and fed and comforted
him as best I could. But he's gone, The disease is still here. And my hands
are no longer tied.

My father's eleven year struggle will stand for nothing but immeasurable loss,
unless we can find a way to reach the world with a simple message - FIGHT
THIS DISEASE IN THE LAB BEFORE IT GETS INTO YOUR HOUSE.

I'm ranting on a Sunday morning. Good lord. Gotta go have some coffee.
Thanks for listening, Bert. It's hard to put in words how much it helps to
share this with someone going through the same thing.


Patty

---

We may be two entirely different people, and to be honest, the pagan high priestess status is a little disconcerting, but if I, a staunch, liberal Democrat, could find common ground with Jeb Bush, a conservative, Republican governor, I think there is plenty of room for you and I to completely and totally agree. Alzheimer's doesn't care what I believe in, or who I pray to, or what candidate I support. It takes with complete abandon and total lack of discrimination. The tools of this disease - its relentlessness, its never-giving-up nature- are what I intend to use against it. Beat it at its own game.

Alike or not, we are in complete agreement about what this disease feels like when it attacks a parent. I know what you're talking about. I hear it loud and clear, and your voice is honest and true. It's what attracted me you your blog in the first place. It isn't often we hear the truth, but we know it as soon as we hear it. I'm not so sure about the spiritual side of things, but your exactly right about Alzheimer's. We're tied at the hip and I would be honored to have you post my letter on your blog.

Next t-shirt: The Golden Years are Lead.