Why I Ride:
Alzheimer's is a horrible disease. It destroys people, it takes away everything that made them who they were and leave a hollow husk of a non-person in their place; but it is a non-person you still love and care for, take care of, look after, and mourn for. Being an Alzheimer's patient care-giver is heart-wrenchingly painful! It is heart-wrenchingly not just once, but yesterday, today, tomorrow, and a thousand moments in the future.
My mother has Alzheimer's disease. In 2017, she was getting forgetful; in 2019, I enrolled her in memory care for her own safety; in 2022 she would only say
"I love you" occasionally; today she hardly bothers to talk at all. She used to be an amazing, vibrant, force-of-nature; and now she just occupies a chair. I miss my mother, I miss who she was, and I can't stand seeing her reduced to what she is now.
But here is the worst part: she is not even gone yet, except she is no longer here.
So, Alzheimer's is a horrible disease. I could go on for ages on the pain and upset of losing someone you care for like this, but I just wanted to share a little of what it is like to be a care-giver. There is so much more, and so many difficult stories.
It is said, "If you know one person with Alzheimer's disease, you know one person with Alzheimer's disease." Every story is different, except that they are all about pain and loss.
More than 6 million Americans living with this disease, and over 11 million family members and friends provide them with care.
The Alzheimer’s Association helps fund research and education about this disease. They help families and care-givers learn how to deal with their afflicted loved ones.
I am asking for your support. I am participating on the Ride to End ALZ, a fully-supported, one day fundraising event where every dollar raised supports the Alzheimer’s Association’s efforts to discover methods of treatment and prevention for Alzheimer’s disease.
With each mile I ride, I am raising funds to advance research toward the first survivor of Alzheimer’s. Thank you for cheering me on.
Cheer Me On!