September 4th: “Tribute Page” – to raise money for Alzheimer’s causes.

Today I created a “tribute page” on the Alzheimer’s web site to raise money for Alzheimer’s.  Marcia is the “tributee”, and this is one way I hope to honor her life and her fight against Alzheimer’s.  I’ve been talking about doing this for months now, but feel ready to get going.  This is not a short term project, at least that’s not how I’m thinking about this.  I plan to work this for many years and am starting with a goal of raising $1,000,000.  I hope to go higher than that in the years to come!  There are a lot of ways to raise money, and the Alzheimer’s organization has walks scheduled all over the country throughout the year.  Maybe “walks” will be part of our efforts someday.  For now, we hope to make more of an impact with the “pen and paper” approach.
September is “World Alzheimer’s Month”. Worldwide, 35 million people and their families are affected by dementia.  World Alzheimer’s Month is established to raise awareness, reduce the stigma of Alzheimer’s and share personal experiences with this awful disease. We can help end Alzheimer's and this seems like a great time to begin fund raising efforts.  Wear purple on September 21^st!!

                                            

My daughter Riley is going to be a huge part of these efforts.  She’s going to start with a program Somerville High School has that raises money for various causes.  We also talked about how we can attract donors from all over the United States.

There are so many worthy causes to support, and I will always support our church, Breast Cancer and Autism.  Alzheimer’s is another cause I plan to support, and I need to play a leading role.  Here is the hard truth:  my efforts to find a cure or treatment for Alzheimer’s won’t help Marcia.  The cure we are looking for is many years away, and the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) is a legislative act approved by Congress to find treatment/cure by 2025.  My passion is not just based on the number of those suffering from AD in the US today (over 5 million), and the growth projected over the next 40 years or so.  The US government spent almost $200 billion dollars on Alzheimer’s care last year.  The projection by 2050 is the cost will escalate to over a trillion dollars a year – every year.   Whether your family has ever been impacted by AD, by 2050, at this level of spending, every American will be affected.  No healthcare system?  Maybe.  15 million sufferers?  Could be you, your kids or grandkids.  If there is no Alzheimer’s, what could the United States do with a $trillion dollars a year? 

Alzheimer’s is the 6^th leading cause of death in the United States, and the only one in the top ten that is growing (+66% since 2000). 

Alzheimer’s takes your mind.  And then it kills you.