2019 Bradley Beach Walk to End Alzheimer’s

2019 Bradley Beach Walk to End Alzheimer’s Promise Garden Ceremony

It’s been almost a year since I was up here, I am so honored to be here again. This year has been one of the more challenging since my diagnosis in 2016.

My wife and kids suggested I be candid about the progression of my disease and how it’s affecting me, us. Writing my thoughts I battled the emotional recall of some of my moments of great despair I’ve felt over the year.

In November, we lost my dad to Alzheimer’s; I was one of my dad’s primary caregivers. In the first quarter of this year, we were told that the very promising Alzheimer’s clinical trial drug I was a participant in was terminated.

Unfortunately, maintaining it’s cruel progression, the disease is beginning to have more of an impact on my cognition, speech and executive functions. Recently, I struggled over tying a simple knot.

It’s holding true to the symptoms and creating behavioral issues that I am working hard to cope with; issues like agitation and crushing anxiety. It was so bad one day I called Kim very confused and we called 911.

Alzheimer’s is a savage disease that is ravaging my brain and assaulting my entire family.
I’m a very hopeful person, hope is what drives me.

I thought; how can I balance a message of despair and hope? How do you balance your daughter and family planning her wedding based on the condition of your health (brain health), and hope? This starts with my amazing support system; my family, the Alzheimer’s Association and you and we go from there. Participating and engaging in advocacy and awareness fuels me and gives me purpose. Walking my daughter down the wedding aisle fuels me and gives me purpose. I could go on but I think that illustrates my point.

I have a bucket list and I continue to add to it. I look forward to some very special family events next year. In the meantime, I’ll continue to live life day by day and moment by moment.

This is a very special moment indeed. Folks, you are my community of hope and we need each other. We need volunteers here in NJ to help us achieve our goal of a “world without Alzheimer’s”. It’s not just a notion or catchy phrase It’s a call to action that we can not retreat from; we must advance the front line.

I will continue to fight for my life and yours; thank you for fighting for your loved ones and for me and my family by being here today and continuing to support the Alzheimer’s Association.