Awareness…

We’re snowed in today! The Midwest has been hit with a blizzard..no way, right?? I thought this would be a good opportunity to bring some awareness Alzheimer Disease.

On April 27th 2009 Alzheimer’s took my Grandpa from us. He was a pretty tough guy. He served in World War II and fought in 3 major campaigns. He helped liberate the Nazi camps in the Holocaust. Had explosives go off so close his ears bled, which caused declining hearing as the years passed. He was diabetic and had prostate cancer that was kept under control by shots in the belly. Alzheimer’s triumphed over all. What is most frustrating is that people do not understand how the disease works. Ultimately, since the brain effects everything in your body, Alzheimer’s will effect everything in your body. Including the ability to swallow, cough and breath. Being unable to swallow or cough causes high risk of choking, aspirating food particles into the lungs and developing pneumonia. This is exactly how my Grandpa was taken from us. I just cant wrap my head around it. What could cause such a horrible disease?

This year I really wanted to jump into the Alzheimer’s fundraising program that helps raise money to advance care, research and support for caregivers. 48 hours ago I shared my fundraiser on my Facebook page and I have now raised $130 personally and $180 as a team. ( I recruited a team for the 2019 Alzheimer’s Walk here in Iowa, mostly including family and friends). I am hoping to have my voice heard by sharing my blog as well. Any amount helps. We NEED to find a cure. More importantly, we need to find a cause. The link to my donation page is below. Please consider helping out any way possible. Or if you are in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area, please consider joining my team to Walk to End Alzheimer’s September 7th, 2019.

Click here to donate now: http://bndfr.com/XXCmt

A few statistics about Alzheimer’s Disease:

• Alzheimer’s is the only cause of death in the top 10 in America that cannot be prevented, cured or slowed.

• Almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease are women.

• One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.

• Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States.

• More than 5 million Americans are living with the disease

• There are an estimated 16 million caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia’s in the United States.

• In the United States someone develops Alzheimer’s every 65 seconds.

• In 2017, 16 million caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia’s provided an estimated 18.4 billion hours of unpaid care, a contribution to the nation valued at more than $232 billion.

• In 2018, Alzheimer’s disease will cost the United States $277 billion. This number is projected to rise to more than $1.1 trillion in 2050.