The first time my mother looked at me as a complete stranger — and not as her daughter — is etched in my heart forever. As her primary caregiver, I bore the brunt of her anger and confusion. Alzheimer’s took her from us 15 years ago. In her final moments, I promised her I would fight this disease any way I could. For the past 12 years, I have gone to Washington D.C. to attend the Alzheimer’s Forum — nine of those years I have been the ambassador representing Kentucky’s First District.
The first Alzheimer’s Walk after my Mom passed I was an army of one. That grew as I formed a team of co-workers. Each year the team has multiplied and I am proud that in 2017 we were 5th in fundraising for the State of Kentucky raising over $17,000.
Summer of 2017, I travelled to Peru where I joined over 35 global Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s advocates as part of The Ambassador Project-Machu Picchu. She is with me every step of this journey. I will continue to talk the talk and walk the walk in this fight to #endalz. I miss my best friend.