My best friend, Hayley, and I have grown up together. We have known each other since Kindergarten. We have been through everything together - slumber parties, a cross-country RV trip to Walt Disney World ,science fairs, band camp, proms, deaths in the family, breakups, college roomies, engagements, weddings, pregnancies, babies...and now our children are friends. However, we never expected to go through this devastating fact of life. A little over 4 years ago, her very active, vibrant father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. It came as a shock to all of us considering he was not what we consider OLD! I grew up with this man. He could be considered a second father to me. I remember him coming into Hayley's room on Saturday mornings after a sleepover and flipping on the lights, cheerfully crying,"Rise and Shine", as we would moan and roll back over in bed. He was also the man that presented me with my high school diploma (he was the school asst. superindentent). So, as you can imagine, this has been beyond hard on his family, but also those of us who have known him for so long. It breaks my heart to see my best friend and her mother and brother (who is also my brother's best friend) go through this. So, for the first time last year, I joined her team in the Memory Walk. And I intend to join her every year that I can to help raise awarness and funds to fight this terrible disease.
If you would like to help me in this fight,
please feel free to click on my link over there----> and access my donation page for the Memory Walk 2009. It is this coming weekend at the Dallas Zoo.
Sometimes we take the simplest of things for granted...like our memories. So, take a moment to remember a special time with a loved one in order to put a smile on your face. And help us keep "Fighting for Memories" that those with Alzheimer's have lost!
Feel free to pass on this post! It would be a great way to get the word out so that we can all make a difference.PS Hayley, Alice and BJ---I love you guys and this one's for you!
Hayley and me at last year's Memory Walk
Hayley and her dad, Corky
Corky with all of his family around him!
Hayley and me at last year's Memory Walk
Hayley and her dad, Corky
Corky with all of his family around him!
6 comments:
Thank you so much for sharing your frinds story. Though I don't personally know anyone with Alzheimers Disease I can see how devastating it can be.
I shared your post with all of my followers on twitter. I hope at least one of my 700+ decides to support the cause.
Thank you for such a nice post. I visited your donation page a left a little something. I had a grandmother with Alzheimers and it really is a long tough road. Walk with your held high and your hear full of support
Terra
What a wonderful post! memories must be cherished but often times are not. I cherish mine that is for sure. After my battle with cancer Chemo caused a lot of my memories to fade. this little glimpse into what it would be like to lose them scared me enough to remember to cherish them.
Stopping by from SITS to introduce myself and say hello. I have a couple blogs:
My personal blog: www.cancerlost.blogspot.com
Coffee Blog:
www.getthebean.blogspot.com (every week we give away 1 lb of coffee)
GTB Fights Cancer blog:
www.gtbfightscancer.blogspot.com (I use this blog to raise money in an effort to fight cancer)
Sorry - I didn't take care of this earlier- but glad to have done it just now for such a worthy cause- tell Corkyand Alice hi for us-miss you already
What a wonderful thing you are doing. Thanks for sharing your story. I'm so sorry I'm so delinquent in stopping by. Your email when to my spam folder and I just "found" it.
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