Did you know?

every 71 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer's disease in the US.
There are as many as 5.2 million Americans living with Alzheimer's.
In 2050, the number of people in the United States with Alzheimer's could reach 16 million.
although Alzheimer's typically affects those 65 and older, some 500,000 Americans aged 30-50 are living with Alzheimer's or a related dementia.
There is NO cure for Alzheimer's.

Alzheimer's is a horrible disease. It robs you of the person that you love long before they actually die. I know first hand. I watched my grandmother - My Nana - fade away. She withered away to under 70 lbs. She was gone long before she left. My mother had to change her own mother's diapers, feed her, bathe her, beg her to eat. All the while defending herself because my grandmother became violent, scratching and hitting her whenever she could. It was horrible to watch these two women who loved each other more than anything on this Earth, dissolve like that.

There's also some research to suggest that it may be hereditary. That scares me most of all because I simply couldn't imagine watching my own mother "go away" like she did. I can't imagine my sons and daughter having to go through that with me either.

Right now, raising money to fund research is critical. In the intervening years since my grandmother was first diagnosed, there have been breakthroughs in ways to slow the progression of the disease and medications to help. There needs to be more, though.

That's why my son, Anthony, and I will be selling lemonade at our local Farmer's Market on Sundays through the summer. We're taking a Stand against Alzheimer's. As part of Sunkist's "Take a Stand" promotion, Anthony received a lemonade stand. We'll be setting it up at the Farmer's Market on Sunday mornings and selling lemonade, with all proceeds to go to the Alzheimer's Association. Last year, in just 3 weekends, we raised over $400. We're hoping for much more this year.

This is also why I've added a "Chip-in" widget to my blog. You can donate through there to our fight, to everyone's fight, against Alzheimer's directly from my blog. It's safe & secure through paypal, and believe me when I say, it's incredibly appreciated.

I will be creating a special blogroll & button for those with blogs who have donated, also. So please, consider making the jump to my blog and making a contribution. Even $5 makes a difference. Thank you for reading my article :)