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Community Corner

All Aboard!

This train of thought is leaving the station. Destination -- Alzheimer's Awareness, USA

Dadgummit. I lost my train of thought. It happens all the time these days. Senior moment? That’s what some call it. Lame brain? I know I have one. But, thankfully, I also know it’s not Alzheimer’s creeping into my being.

Sadly, the same is not true for my dear friend, Kris Bakowski. Ten years ago, at the age of 46, she was diagnosed with Early On-set Alzheimer’s. But rather than succumb to the tragic reality of an inevitable life of fear and illness, she took a different track. Kris became much like the Little Engine That Could. She stoked her engine and began a personal crusade to climb the "Mountain of Stigma" attached to the disease. She has become an outspoken advocate for research to find a cure. She works as hard as she can to educate the public about the growing numbers of people affected by the disease. She's making a difference.

I got to know Kris years ago when she was the Promotions Director for the . Working alongside Joe Burnette, the two helped bolster the vitality of Athens’ premier business district. Remember First Night Athens? The Chili Cook-off? The Gingko Festival? The Christmas Festival of Lights? Well, those were just a few of the events she created, organized, raised money for, directed and fostered. She was the engineer, conductor and passenger on each of these huge trains of success. She went on to become the booking director for the theater at The Classic Center, another plum career in which she excelled.

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As Lifestyle Editor at the newspaper, I coupled my car to her locomotive from the get-go. We were a freight train to reckon with. Events need publicity. I needed events to fill my pages. And a friendship of deep meaning left the station, destined for a lifetime journey of devotion.

September is National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. It is most appropriate that I speak to you about this issue. Stigma Mountain is like Mt. McKinley. It’s huge. And must be scaled. Or a tunnel must be built through it, so that people will understand the importance of finding a cure.

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First of all, Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. And listen to this: for every $100 the government spends on Alzheimer’s research – Medicare and Medicaid spend more than $28,000 to care for Alzheimer’s patients and others with forms of dementia. You do the math. That’s a fact. Got your attention? TOOT! TOOT!

If that doesn’t “bust your buffers,” listen to this. By the year 2050, someone in America will develop the disease every 33 seconds. That’s a fact. TOOT! TOOT!

Billions of dollars are spent annually by the National Institutes of Health on research to find cures for cancer, heart disease and HIV/AIDS. Results have been significant. We see that every day. But for Alzheimer’s research…the NIH sadly allots only $450 million. Talk about a train wreck. TOOT! TOOT!

Take a minute now. Close your eyes and try to picture a person with Alzheimer’s. What do you see?

A senior citizen sitting idly in a chair with a glassy-eyed stare? Probably so. And often exactly on track.

But open your eyes now, and see a different image of the disease. A vibrant young woman, jogging on the treadmill next to you at the Eastside BodyPlex. A perky, smiling lady having lunch with a friend at DePalma’s. A gifted paper artist who makes greeting and note cards to share with family and friends. A person who never forgets your birthday. So what if it is cataloged on a roster.  A successful Weight Watcher’s Life Member, who gives new meaning to the phrase, “where there’s a will there’s a way.” A loving mother of a successful lawyer. A wife and retired accomplished career woman. An articulate lobbyist for a cause. A brilliant communicator. You are looking at Kris Bakowski.

There is a wealth of information available on-line about Alzheimer’s. I urge you to use it. By doing so, you too can become a passenger on the trip over Mount Stigma. Kris shares her personal story on her blog. It's much too strong and touching to be featured in this column. But you must read it.

In a few weeks the Northeast Georgia Alzheimer’s Association is holding its annual fundraiser – Walk to End Alzheimer’s. The event takes place October 11 at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. Fun begins at 9 a.m. and the walk starts at 10. Signing up is a no-brainer. Just go to www.alz.org/georgia and register. I’ll be there to host the ceremonies, and we hope to raise $75,000 this year. TOOT! TOOT!

I have my own personal experience with dementia. Which is another reason that I ride this soul train on a daily schedule. I have seen the slow chug of memory loss turn, turn, turn, picking up speed as it moves along down the track.

My husband, once a brilliant scientist, historian, furniture craftsman, devoted US Marine Colonel, professor of biochemistry, founding president of an international society of plant molecular biologists, and mentor to hundreds, is riding the rails of mind loss. He knows it. I know it. And there is little we can do about it. So we just live with it. Often laugh at it. But recognize it as  unstoppable. We have no choice. And we don’t want to get derailed.

I boarded a train 15 years ago that has taken me on a one-way trip to joy. And whenever it reaches the station. I will never detrain. It’s the trip of a lifetime for which I am eternally grateful.

I purchase my ticket on the Alzheimer's Express every year at this time. I join the crusade to find a cure. I do it for my friend Kris. I do it in memory of my husband's mother, who died of the disease. I do it for Leon. Feel like taking a trip? Join me.

All aboard!

 

 

 

 

"Mornings with Meg" is moving to Thursday. Check Athens Patch on Thursday at 8:30 a.m.! You can find all of Meg's past columns on the website.

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