Friday, June 27, 2014

Walk to End Alzheimer's Kick Off-Krewe BB

Last night we had the Kick-off party for the Walk to End Alzheimer's here in Charlotte. It was a great opportunity for Team Captains to come meet and chat with people in the industry and learn about good fundraising tips as well as see where we are as a city in terms of fundraising. I also love the people that work for the Alzheimer's Association. They, along with several members of the Industry, (My ladies at the Ivy and Regency) have become close companions as we navigate this disease with my Mother. I just met the new CEO last night and she is GREAT. I could spend hours with her talking about ideas about getting people in my generation involved. You see, I am not the majority. People still have the stigma that this is an old person's disease so while many friends are experiencing this with grandparents, not many are experiencing this with parents.

That being said I have been contacted by at least five people in the past few weeks that are seeing the symptoms in their parents and are coming to me for advice. I'm not sure how to describe how I feel when I get one of these emails. I am brokenhearted for anyone that is getting ready to experience or already experiencing Alzheimer's with their parents. But I also feel empowered. This little blog is mostly silly and my journal since I don't think my husband listens to 79% of what I blab on about. If my stories are helping anyone, and in return, sending them to me for advice; I feel like I need to do more. There is almost a period of time, maybe called the gray area, where you know something is wrong but don't know what to do about it. My father and I sat in that gray period for almost two years. There has to be an easier way for caregivers to move from this phase to a diagnosis of some sorts with the least amount of embarrassment to the patient as possible. Because that was what held us back. How do you tell someone that they are having memory issues?


The new Alzheimer's facts and figures data this year primarily focuses on women. Almost two thirds of Americans diagnosed with Alzheimer's are WOMEN. Women are also the typically caregivers. Do you see the issue here? 
At last night's kick off. Also happened to be my halfway through pregnancy mark. Thought it would be fun to also note what I was up to at that moment.

While this is nothing to smile about I love thinking of ways for us to spread the word about the disease. I would love to get a shot of my Mom and I behind this poster at the walk. Maybe a photobooth of some sorts. 

Have you seen Seth Rogen's wife, Laura Miller's, campaign in magazines? 
What if we could all make a page like that for ourselves with a simple upload? Laura is an inspiration in her battle against Alzheimer's in the name of her mother and if you want to follow a pioneer in fundraising you should follow her and Seth's Hilarity for Charity group

I would also love to sit down with Lauren and pick her brain. We both use humor to help us through this disease and I think we (after a few bottles of wine) would be BFF's.

It has been three years since my Mom was diagnosed. And while the disease continues to progress I feel that through the Alzheimer's Association, Memory Care, Support Groups, and Seniors Helping Seniors we have been tossed a few life rafts of sorts. I will do a full post on what we have changed and how we are helping mom soon for my group of friends that need that advice.

Whew. Sorry for the long post! I know you get requests for fundraising all the time so I will try to only send out my bulk emails twice as I begin my Walk to End ALZ donation begging.


Let's END ALZ!!! Go KREWE BB!

You can donate here:

3 comments:

  1. Really adorable post. I love each pictures which shows unique designs and it is good to have these type of decorations for the home.
    studio-with-gothic-style

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  2. My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease 7 years ago, almost when all hope was lost due to several failed attempts in making her healthy. My desire to see her permanently free drives me into searching the internet for possible solutions which led me to a video about Alzheimer’s disease on YouTube, I met with a comment on how an herbal doctor cures Alzheimer patients with natural herbs. I collected the doctor's contact and reached out to him, we talked about it and he asked few questions about her physical challenges which I answered, and then he prepared the herbal medicine and sent them to me here in Tennessee with prescriptions on how to use attached, I ensured my mom took the herbal medicine accordingly and in 3 weeks of using this medication, we began to see improvement in her health and now, I am so glad to share this testimony that after 8 months, my mom is permanently healed from this horrible disease called Alzheimer, and now she is living her best life. Contact Dr. Rohan via dr.rohanronjohn@gmail.com you will come back for your testimony 
                  

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  3. Make me a promise Bianca, my mother said. "Promise me you won't put me in a home or make me live with one of your sisters". It was a joke at the time when my mom was just starting to forget things. 06/08/2019 was the hardest day of my life. Watching my mom talk to herself, packing her things 2-3 times a day, saying she has to go home. It was heartbreaking. I broke down and cried with her a few times and then I realized how hard it must be on my dad too. He can't leave the house, he has to convince her that she lives in their house. I came to the decision to quit my job. My dad needs help. I live 7 hours away but instead of visiting my parents, I'll be visiting my husband. My mom has always been there for me and been my best friend so I want to be there for her. I keep telling myself that I can snap her out of it. I got her numerous medications including DONEPEZIL and MEMANTINE instead of helping her, they almost destroyed her due to the side effects. As I was reading more about Dementia on the internet, I met with some comments of people testifying about Dr. Rohan and his BRONGEE HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS that it works for Alzheimer's and Dementia. I contacted the doctor immediately and explained my mother's condition to him, he assured me that my mom will be fine and her memory will come back to normal. I ordered his Herbal Supplements and it was delivered to me here in Canada by DHL courier company in less than a week with instructions on how to use them attached in the package. After 3 weeks of using these herbs, we began to see improvement, after 6 months my mom was better, and it's been 2 years now and my mom is completely free from this horrible disease called dementia. In case your loved one is suffering from Alzheimer's/Dementia I will advise you to use BRONGEE HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS it may also help you. You can contact Dr. Rohan via email; dr.rohanronjohn@gmail.com and Whatsapp; +393512146722 to get yours.

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