Woman honors great-grandfather with Longest Day fundraiser

When her great-grandfather James McCormack went through a red light while driving her to work, Veronica Geary thought something was wrong. When he got angry with her for asking about it, she knew it was. Such anger was totally out of character for this man who adored his great-grandchildren and went out of his way to spend time with them.

So when he dropped her off at work, Geary, who was 18 at the time, called her mother and told her what had happened. Her mother said they would keep an eye on the situation.

Within a week, another disturbing sign appeared. Her great-grandfather suddenly began driving very slowly, to the point where other cars were passing him. She shared this with her mother, too, and the family made an appointment with a neurologist.

The diagnosis was Alzheimer’s disease, and it progressed quickly. By the time Geary was 20, he was living with her family. “He lived with us for about eight or nine months,” Geary recalled. “My mom was his caregiver until she couldn’t care for him anymore.”

Once he was moved to a facility, he tried repeatedly to get out.

“He escaped twice,” she said. “He made it back to his house, which was empty at the time, and the police found him there. It’s amazing. He couldn’t think about anything – his name or what day it was -- but he knew how to get home.”

Geary’s great-grandfather died a short time after that. It was 24 years ago, and she remembers the exact date. “He died three days after my 21st birthday,” she said. The loss was great, since she had grown up with her great-grandfather playing an active and loving role in her life. She said he always retained a special presence despite the disease.

“His spirit was just amazing. The frustration on his face -- to watch him try to formulate a sentence was very hard -- but if you looked in his eyes, you could see he was still there.”

Geary said that during his illness, she and her mother attended an Alzheimer’s Association caregiver support group at a local hospital and later became active participants in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s to help raise awareness and funds. She has been part of Team Forget Me Not in Westchester for nine years.

Now Geary is giving back another way. She is planning a virtual wine tasting on June 20, the summer solstice and the culmination of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Longest Day fundraiser.

She had recently become a cause entrepreneur with ONEHOPE Wine, a business that gives back to the community by donating a portion of the proceeds to charity. She said she plans to benefit one charity each month, and discovered The Longest Day while exploring causes.

“I was looking on May 31, the anniversary of my great-grandfather’s death. I saw that The Longest Day was on June 20, and that June was Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month.” Holding a Longest Day Fundraiser seemed like a perfect way to honor him.

Since COVID-19, she said her fundraising events have been virtual happy hours.

“We set up the sale of the wine, so customers have been purchasing it, and a percentage of that will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association. People can attend the Zoom fundraiser with the beverage of their choice – it doesn’t have to be wine -- it could be coffee or tea.”

During the Zoom event, participants will read labels of their newly purchased ONEHOPE wine bottles to find out what cause each one of them benefits. There will be speakers at the event as well.

“I have a dear friend whose mother is living with Alzheimer’s, so I asked her to speak during my fundraiser. I like to have the speakers talk about how they are associated with the cause,” she said. Alzheimer’s Association staff member Lauren Voorhees will also speak about the organization and its programs and services.

Geary said she hopes the event brings greater awareness and empowers people to utilize community resources.

“I don’t think people know enough about what’s out there. There’s support, and people should not be shy to use it, because that’s what it’s there for, and it could really make a difference,” she said.

To order some wine to benefit the Alzheimer's Association, click here. To join the Virtual Wine Tasting on Facebook, click here. In addition to purchasing wine, donations can be made directly to Geary's fundraiser on her Longest Day page.

About The Longest Day

The Longest Day fundraiser encourages participants to create their own events to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association doing any activities at any time they choose. Their efforts are then celebrated on the Longest Day of the year, the summer solstice. Visit alz.org/tld

About the Hudson Valley Chapter

The Hudson Valley Chapter serves families living with dementia in seven counties in New York including Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester. To learn more about programs and services offered locally, visit alz.org/hudsonvalley.

About the Alzheimer’s Association

The Alzheimer’s Association leads the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection and maximizing quality care and support. Its vision is a world without Alzheimer’s and all dementia. Visit alz.org