In April of 1993, when I was nine years old, I lost my first grandparent. My mother’s mother, Laveda Bowman Cook, had suffered with the excruciating decline of Alzheimer’s Disease for a decade or more. My memories of her, of who she really was outside of what the disease had made her, are sparse and scattered.
What I remember most is pain. Her pain at her condition, at her inability to shine as she had through her whole life previously, playing the organ for her church, and singing, and raising her beautiful family in rural Indiana. The pain of my mother, watching her mother struggle and fail, and her father try to deal with the chaos. The pain of my father, watching my mom hurt and being unable to do anything about it.
Alzheimer’s is a cruel, evil disease. Like other maladies of the mind, it doesn’t just attack what you are, it attacks who you are. It takes away that which makes you, you, and replaces it with a shattered, splintered person that few will even recognize. And what’s worse, you won’t recognize them, no matter how special they may have been to you.
There aren’t many things in life that truly terrify me, but Alzheimer’s does. I’ve seen first hand what it can do to a person, and to their family, and it is something no one should ever have to endure. What’s worse, Alzheimer’s is the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United States without a way to prevent, cure or even slow its progression.
But we aren’t completely helpless. The Alzheimer’s Association is the world’s leading voluntary organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research. They aid victims of the disease, support their families and caregivers, and coordinate and help fund research into their care, treatment and someday, a cure.
Earlier this month I wrote about what I feel is my mission. With that in mind, I have registered for this year’s Young’s Bike Tour, a two-day event raising money for four amazing charities, among them the Miami Valley Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. In an effort to raise $501 for causes I believe in so strongly, I will be riding 183 miles in two days, from Young’s Dairy to Ohio Northern University and back. I ask that if you are able, please donate anything you can to help me help make the world a little less painful, and help people shine a little brighter.
Thank you.
[…] but I also felt compelled to set an ambitious goal, as the charities supported by the ride are very near and dear to me. So I picked a number, $500, and then added one more, just […]