I was skeptical at first. I thought Alzheimer's was just a fancy way of identifying people as they got older and began to forget things. My great grandfather lived to be 97. He was active for 97 years, and, while he did forget some things, he remained sharp.

My dad's story isn't like that. My dad is not forgetful. My dad is losing his memory. He is losing brain function that allows him to not just remember things but to process information. He is losing that part of himself that helps him stay connected to the world around him. My dad, this highly intelligent, sophisticated, educated man is losing his mind to Alzheimer's. This man who literally changed the lives of millions of public school children in Indiana and Arizona; this man who helped design education policy that would help all children; this man who worked in the areas of public school finance and the school funding formula; this man who could tell you the name of every member of both the Indiana and Arizona state legislatures and their spouses, who knew their birthdays and other information; this man who could fix and build anything; this man who taught me how to ride a horse and hosted bonfires on my grandparents' farm and let me drive his Corvette; this man is being stripped of all of this due to this disease. 

I am no longer skeptical. I will do what I can to help bring attention to the very real and very tragic truth of what this disease does to a person. I will Walk to End Alzheimer's. I hope you will support me. 

Thank you,

Becky