Hope for a World without Alzheimer's

Wednesday I woke up hopeful. Hopeful that the people I’ve built my life around, the people I love more than anything, the people that give my life meaning might not be robbed of their memories of me after all. Hopeful the narrative I have created in my head of what research and genetics tell me my life will look like in possibly just a short 20 years is just a lie. Caregiving without financial means and social support, the daily emotional toll that comes with persistent battles of independence versus safety, having to grieve a life that’s still exists even though the person I loved had been taken long ago. – Hopeful these fears may soon be irrational.

Alzheimer’s Disease is a growing public health crisis. In 2017, the U.S. spent $259 billion in direct costs caring for individuals living with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. Every 65 seconds someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. It is the 6th leading cause of death and is without any treatment or cure. While Congress has more than tripled Alzheimer’s and dementia research funding at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in recent years, leading experts say a greater investment is still needed.

Tuesday President Trump signed into law an additional $425 million increase in the government’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget. These additional funds were supported heavily throughout Congress and as a result shifting the needle towards medical breakthrough and a world without Alzheimer’s disease.

5.7 million American’s are living with Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050 this number is projected to rise to nearly 14 million. The burden is large and the numbers are accelerating quickly. We have much work to do to support, care and ultimately end Alzheimer’s disease. But for now because of Congress’s support in making Alzheimer’s research a priority, I am hopeful. Please join me in thanking Congress Barry Loudermilk for voting yes to an additional $425 million in Alzheimer’s and dementia research funding at the NIH. Together we can end Alzheimer’s.

Sincerely,

Sarah Collett

District 11 Ambassador