Honoring my Mother and Grandmother in the 2XU NYC Triathlon

My name is Colleen Cronin, and I am currently a Registered Nurse on a Surgical/Trauma Intensive Care Unit in Raleigh, North Carolina. On July 1st, I will be participating in the 2XU New York City Triathlon in partnership with the Alzheimer's Association. You can join me at https://bit.ly/2wL2hZo.

Today, over 35 million people across the world are living with Alzheimer's disease. I will be doing this triathlon not only for them and their caregivers, but also in loving memory of my Nana who had early-onset Alzheimer's, and most importantly, for my Mom, Jeanne, who is headed down a very similar path.

In 2012, during my freshman year of college, my brothers and I began to notice some small, but concerning behavioral changes in our mom. For those who may not have known Jeanne in her prime, she was always so incredibly on the ball and well organized. As a stay-at-home Mom to four rambunctious children, she had an innate gift for balancing our hectic schedules, all the while ensuring that there was milk in the fridge, dinner on the table, and an enormous amount of love and support within our family.

Since this diagnosis, we've seen specialists who agree that she is showing symptoms more in line with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Some of the most noteworthy changes include forgetting people close to her, getting lost in familiar areas, wandering from home, and the inability to independently and correctly carry out what we would consider simple tasks, such as personal hygiene, getting dressed, and performing household chores. She has also developed significant behavioral changes and has a very difficult time communicating. We have yet to confirm her specific type dementia, but despite not having a definitive diagnosis, Alzheimer's and dementia are diseases that have already taken so much from my family. My mother watched as Alzheimer's took her mother from her, and now she is living her worst nightmare as dementia steals her from us.

My Mom is beyond a doubt one of the strongest and most beautiful human beings you could ever meet. Even as she experiences this unkind degeneration, she has maintained an inspiring, unconditional love for my Dad, her four children, and for her friends and family members. To this day, it is still undoubtedly clear she wants nothing more than for all us to be truly happy.Please join me in the fight against Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia! Your donations will help to provide care and support to those affected with the disease and their caregivers, accelerate research aimed at eliminating Alzheimer's and other dementias, and help to advocate for those who cannot always do so for themselves. With your donations and heightened awareness, we can show those facing Alzheimer's disease that they are not alone, and that we will do everything we can to stop such an ugly disease from taking away so much of the world's most pure and true beauty.

The Alzheimer's Association- NYC Chapter currently has a limited number of spaces available for the 2XU New York City Triathlon. For more information, contact Ldenardo@alz.org or 646.793.4862.