Heart Health, Black History Month and Brain Health: An Unlikely Connection

Two major advocacy campaigns are underway in February: Black History Month and Heart Health Month. While their connection to Alzheimer’s disease may not be obvious, each is vitally important. ( Continue reading in Morning Consult.) Jill Lesser is president of WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s and has been a caregiver for the past nine years to her mother, Barbara Lesser, who has Alzheimer’s disease. Stephanie Monroe is executive director of AfricanAmericansAgainstAlzheimer’s, the first national network created specifically to respond to Alzheimer’s disease and its disparate impact on African Americans.

Do You Want to Be Right or Have Peace?

One night I was helping Ed, my Romanian life partner of 30 years, pay his bills. He’d been showing signs of dementia and always needed assistance with that task. Unfortunately, I put the stamp on an envelope a little askew. When Ed noticed, he lost it. “Marie,” he hollered, putting his glass of vodka down forcefully and slamming his fist on the table. “Look what you did. It’s crooked. You r-r-ruined a perfectly good stamp!” “Ed,” I said loudly, caught off guard and angered by his outburst, “It doesn’t matter. The post office doesn’t care if it’s on straight. They

Driving Progress in 2017

In the United States, a change of administration always brings uncertainty. With new leaders entering Congress and the White House, we at WomenAgainstAlzheimer's (WA2) know we can turn that uncertainty into opportunity. Opportunity because we know finding a cure for Alzheimer’s and alleviating its burden on families can bring us together. WA2 is committed to continuing to lead a campaign to promote women’s brain health and fight against Alzheimer’s. 2017 is a critical year in our battle to stop Alzheimer’s in its tracks by 2020. We are confident in the progress we will make because we know that our passionate

Mixed Feelings

As a person who is living with Alzheimer’s, I have very mixed feelings about how I should talk about it. I have become an outspoken advocate in the dementia arena, but I feel like I am always at odds with so many. And it is sometimes hard for me to decide what my message should be. Should it be about living life to the fullest or all doom and gloom about the horrible disease? When I started my work as an advocate, I realized early on that if I painted too positive a picture of Alzheimer’s I would not get

Thankful

Last year, my husband, Jim, lost his 7-year battle with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. He was just 53 years old. It hurt to spend the holidays without him. But as I reflect on the most difficult year of my life, I’m filled with gratitude for all those who find the strength to keep fighting this devastating disease. I am thankful for those fighting so hard for critical research funding, including UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, and for researchers who are in the trenches trying to find a cure. It must get frustrating going to work each day when for every step forward it seems there