Fighting To Remember

Just two short weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend the Alzheimer's Association's National Forum as one of Tennessee's congressional advocates, along with 1,400 other dedicated ambassadors and advocates.
This was my second year to be invited to attend the Forum, and this year was even more inspiring than the last!

In 2015, we asked our representatives to increase Alzheimer's Research funding by $300 Million for the 2016 Fiscal Year Budget, and it was granted! (this puts Alzheimer's research funding from the federal government at just below one billion dollars).

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The reason we advocates are so adamant about funding specifically for research is, you must conduct many, many, many hours of research in order to find the cure for Alzheimer's. Also, to recruit scientists and research teams for the much needed research efforts, you must have the secured funding in place.

The National Alzheimer's Project Act (passed unanimously by Congress in December of 2010 and signed into law by President Obama in January of 2011) has put funding, legislation, and (most importantly) research into motion so that we will have a cure for Alzheimer's by 2025.

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Advocates that came to D.C. for the Forum understand the importance of making our voices heard to our Representatives in Congress, so that there WILL be a cure in 2025!

Meeting new colleagues at the National Forum and hearing their individual stories about how Alzheimer's has affected each of their lives is my favorite thing about the Forum. These friends and fellow advocates are a constant reminder and daily inspiration of why we fight to end this disease.

I had the privilege of meeting such a wide array of champions this year - from a fellow pageant queen, to a woman who asked every single presidential candidate at various caucuses what their plan is to end this disease, to a gentleman who suffers from early onset, diagnosed at only 30 years old. It is these advocates and friends that keep me going.

   These 1,400 people are the constant reminder that I don't have to fight this fight alone. 

​Alzheimer's can feel like such an isolated fight. Alzheimer's ripped away memories that my grandpa once had of chasing me around my parents' living room and laughing when I was confused about why I couldn't refer to him as "grandma."

​These incredible 1,400 people, whether they are fighting for their own memory, the memories of their loved ones, or the memories of those that they have lost, continue to come year after year, and they fight to remember.  They constantly remind me that we are not only fighting to for those who cannot remember, but for ourselves and future generations. We fight for a cure because we do not want our children and grandchildren to experience what it is like to lose someone to Alzheimer's. I fight because do not want one more granddaughter like me to look into their grandpa's eyes and realize that he no longer remembers her name or who she once was to him because Alzheimer's has robbed away his memory forever.

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Photo by Gedalia Vera of Inside Look

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​I fight because this disease has ripped away my great grandparents from me.
     
I fight because Alzheimer's is also claiming my grandparents and my great aunts and uncles.
   
 I fight because I refuse to let this disease take my parents, and I refuse to let it take me.

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At 20 years old, I have already lost FOUR family members to this cruel epidemic. 
I refuse to just  stand by and let it take anymore.

Hearing the applause, cheers and commitment from these 1,400 champions of the cause reminds me daily why I do what I do. 

Seeing a room full of 20 somethings that also care for this cause as much as I do brings me so much joy and encouragement. The young advocates that fight daily across our country for the memories of their parents, grandparents, other family members and friends is so poignant as to the severity of this disease.

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                  This year, almost 500,000 more people will be diagnosed with Alzheimer's than last year. 
             That means,  someone is developing Alzheimer's every 66 seconds.
 That also means that this disease will cost $236 Billion to our government- just this year.
   
These 1,400 advocates that travelled all the way to our nation's capitol share the same vision that I do:
A world without Alzheimer's Disease.
But that vision begins with a world that has a cure. 
That cure can only be found through effective research, and that research so desperately needs funding. To effectively research and find that cure by the year 2025, the NIH needs 2 billion dollars.
​I am so thrilled to say we are well on our way to making that happen! ​

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So to cap off this blog, I'm excited to announce my partnership with the Youth Movement Against Alzheimer's. I had the chance to hear from several representatives of this organization at the Forum and was so moved to hear the passion and drive that these young champions possess to end this disease. 
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Below is my message of support for this organization. If you or someone you know is interested in partnering with the Youth Movement, shoot me an email on the contact page and I'll point you in the right direction.

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