BOLD Infrastructure For Alzheimer's Act

Subject: Taking BOLD action against Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease is a public health issue that is bankrupting our families, our state and federal governments, and Illinois is at the epicenter of this crisis. As the most expensive disease in the country, Alzheimer’s is costing our nation a quarter of a trillion dollars for the more than 5.7 million people impacted. With these statistics projected to more than triple by 2050, it is vital that our Members of Congress take a stance on addressing Alzheimer’s as a public health crisis. As a volunteer advocate with the Alzheimer’s Association, I have committed to working with my Representative because I have a long history of Alzheimer's in my family. My father's mother passed away from Alzheimer's, my dad passed away from Alzheimer's, my aunt (my dad's sister) has Alzheimer's, my grandma passed away from Alzheimer's, and so did her sister. Alzheimer's runs in my family. A cure needs to be found to stop this horrible disease.

I watched my grandma and dad die a slow death due to Alzheimer's, I'm watching my aunt go through the same thing, and i have watched numerous friends lose their loved ones to this horrible horrible disease. A cure needs to be found!

In an effort to change the trajectory of this disease and support families like mine, Congress has passed The Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act, thanks to leaders like my Congressman, Bobby Rush, for championing this vital legislation. This bipartisan bill that recently became law will allow effective Alzheimer’s public health interventions to be implemented across the country. By applying a public health approach to reducing risk, detecting early symptoms, and advancing care on a community level, we will now be better able to fight this devastating disease as we continue to work towards our vision of A World Without Alzheimer’s.

While this is a HUGE victory in our fight to END ALZHEIMER’S, there is still much to be done, and we can’t stop now. With the Advocacy Forum in Washington D.C. coming up in the beginning of April, I look forward to seeing you there, Representative Rush, and to continue working with you to prioritize this disease in the 116th Congress.