I was blessed to have wonderful, hands-on grandparents that were with me into my adult life. My grandmother, "Grammy" fought Alzheimer's disease for over 10 years, we lost her in February 2017.  My grandpa "Pop," a wonderful father, grandfather, businessman, community pillar was my grammy's caretaker.  He passed away in July 2017 of a broken heart. My grammy was a beautiful and wonderful lady with so many talents; sewing, knitting, cooking, a passion for business and a wonderful mother and grandmother. Our family saw Alzheimer's disease strip away her personality, her love for life, and the everyday things that made her who she was. It was incredibly hard to watch how this affected her and the caretakers around her, especially my grandpa. It changed his life as well. My mom was a caretaker for my grammy, her mom.  For many years, my mom has been continuing the fight against Alzheimer's on The Longest Day.  Her team, "Team Joy" raised over $40k in 4 years.  Our family participates hoping to shed a light on this disease, continuing to spread awareness through sharing our story. I have been inspired by her efforts and am now creating my own team to honor my grammy and pop's memory. I hope that you will join me, continuing the fight against Alzheimer's disease.  

                                        “Love is the last light spoken.” - Dylan Thomas 

Katie O'Connell 

This story is personal and not to be used for other purposes without permission.