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Why I Am Doing This: Several years ago, my brilliant father (who entered Cornell at age 16) was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  No amount of reading could prepare me or my family for what chaos, pain and suffering this horrible disease would bring to not just my father, but the whole family and his friends.  We all watched as he declined mentally, and then physically, effectively becoming an entirely different person, until nothing was left.  Without the support of family and friends, I don't think I could have made it through those days.  As his illness progressed, it became clear that our mother was headed down the same path, starting this process all over again.  While it is nice that she now does not recall that her husband passed away, it remains a challenge for our family and her friends and our mother, like our father, is slowly becoming a different person (though fortunately she seems content on a day-to-day basis) as she progresses through her own battle with Alzheimer's/dementia.  More recently, another close family member developed severe dementia, and now lives in the same memory care facility as my mother. This disease is real, and its horrible.

What I Hope For: While I pray for a cure for this horrible disease, particularly recognizing what the odds say about the future for me and my sister, what I would really like is more recognition and attention to addressing and assisting the friends and family of those who suffer from Alzheimer's and dementia.  With over 6 million Americans suffering from Alzheimer's/dementia (see https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures), there are surely over 20x that number of family and close friends of those who suffer - most of whom don't truly know how to deal with and process this experience, including what to say, what to do, how to deal with the grief and suffering, etc.  Please take a few minutes to learn more at https://www.alz.org/alzheimer_s_dementia as odds are, you or someone you know will eventually suffer from Alzheimer's/dementia as numbers appear to be increasing.  And for those of you who are currently going through this process, please do not hesitate to reach out to me to talk, or just for someone to listen.

My "The Longest Day" Event: As some of you may know, for the past several years, I have been raising funds for the Alzheimer's Association by participating in their annual "The Longest Day" event on the Summer Solstice by participating in some type of personal adventure, or as my wife likes to call it, my day of suffering.  However, while I suffer on an adventure, I can actually enjoy it all knowing that I am doing something for good and that any suffering I feel over the course of the day is far less than the suffering caused by Alzheimer's/dementia.  This year, I will be running my first 100K (63 miles) by running the Denali 100K.  This "race" will have me running through the largely untouched wilderness along the beautiful and isolated unmaintained Denali Highway in Alaska on the Summer Solstice.  With no towns, turns or shops along the route, I expect a true adventure shared with family and some moose (and hopefully no grizzlies).  As this is a largely unsupported event, my wife will be driving my support 4x4, with my younger son Ryan providing food and drink support for me from the vehicle (and hopefully some humor to keep my wife awake). I hope to minimize support so my family can enjoy the views and get some sleep instead of smelling me. 

How You Can Help: There are a few ways you can help:

  (1)  Make a small donation to the Alzheimer's Association, supporting my effort, at https://act.alz.org/goto/Miles4ALZ - no amount is too small, even if it's just $1.00 (as my Mom always told me, it's the thought that counts, and that is what this is REALLY about).

  (2) Forward this to one other person and ask him/her to make a donation.

  (3) Review the links above or search other sources to learn a little more about Alzheimer's and dementia so you can be a little better prepared tomorrow than you are today.

  (4) When someone acts a little "weird," or repeats himself/herself a little more than you would expect, or forgets your name, do not make assumptions. And ALWAYS BE KIND!

If you made it this far, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

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