I don’t have anyone in my family with the disease, but have had 2 friends who have been impacted it in a huge way.

     Our friend Len Rohde who played offensive tackle for Utah State, and for 15 years following for the San Francisco 49ers. He began to exhibit memory problems at 69, and by 75 was in serious Memory loss, finally passing at 80 of Alzheimer’s. It was really hard watching such a smart guy waste away, and to see his family suffer through caring for their hero.
    We watched our friend Ray Freer, who of course you know, be the lead caregiver for his wife Mary, who he kept at their Park City home for 11 of her 12 years suffering from Alzheimer’s. Friends and I watched as he gained weight , lost enthusiasm and became more and more depressed during this process. Finally after several interventions we convinced him to put her in a care facility in SLC, where he visited her almost every day, until she passed a year or so later.
Seeing these terrific people go through the horrors of this disease compelled me to get involved and to make a difference.
When I go out and talk to groups about I ask the question “How many of you have had a family member or friend be effected by either Dementia or Alzheimer’s” there usually are over half of the people who raise their hands.

I'm leading the way to Alzheimer's first survivor by participating in the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's®. Currently, more than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's and that number is expected to grow to as many as 16 million by 2050. Our future is at risk unless we can find a way to change the course of this disease Together, we can end Alzheimer's disease. 

Please make a donation to advance the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer's Association. Thank you for joining the fight against Alzheimer's!