It’s been a few years since I posted on this blog, and I am excited to begin blogging again.
A lot has happened in that time as the years moved forward and cycled through the ups and downs of life, which is synonymous with living. Valleys are painful, like when my brother passed from lymphoma, when I underwent a couple of heart procedures, and when our oldest son deployed to Afghanistan for what seemed like an eternity, but thankfully returned home unharmed.
Simultaneously though, life was brought back into balance with the excitement and fun of two wedding seasons, seeing our youngest son’s dream of becoming a doctor fulfilled, and the joy of welcoming three additional grand-daughters into our family!!
Although I don’t live in fear of the other shoe dropping, I am constantly reminded of the narrow balance beam we walk, and how life teeters between stability and fragility.
And that brings me to Alzheimer’s.
Mom passed over four years ago, and yet, we are still no closer to a cure. Medical research in this area, which is funded by government grants and big Pharma companies, are slowly moving away from finding a cure, as most clinical trials have failed, to finding drugs that can prevent the plaques and inflammation from forming in the first place. This is great news for eradicating the disease in the early, preclinical stages, but not so good news for those already afflicted, as Alzheimer’s is now known to begin in the brain some twenty years before symptoms appear. That leaves fifty million individuals around the world who are presently diagnosed with Dementia without a cure, with another ten million being diagnosed each year. Those statistics are staggering, but there is hope! Maybe not yet in the form of a medical cure, but hope in finding the person who resides deep with the confusion of Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
And that is why I write, to help others transform their thinking around Alzheimer’s and Dementia, and to bring them closer to finding their loved one within all of the chaos. I would love to see this disease eradicated, to have my four beautiful grand-daughters grow up in a world where they are free from the threat of Alzheimer’s for themselves, and their loved ones. But in the meantime we have to find a way to make the journey for, and with our loved ones as positive as we can. That comes when we share our stories in an attempt to inspire and encourage others. I am passionate about helping others through their journey through Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Please join me in the fight!
You can also follow my inspirational site on Instagram @afteralzheimers
