My tan is fading away. I don't get to be by the water as much as I did in July. Now you can see my pastiness returning with great fervor. This year I have vowed to keep some Jergen's Healthy Glow by the shower to maintain some type of skin color.
My highlights are fading away. Well, they aren't fading away but they are on their proverbial last leg. If I don't go see my girl before the end of October the grey will be having a huge party on my head and the blonde will be in a bad shade of hombre.
The daylight is fading away. I noticed last week that the sun was all tucked away by 8:15PM instead of 9:15PM. This is one of the hardest changes for me to grasp when summer fades into fall. I like my long days with hours of sunshine. They make me very happy. This year I'll adjust by finding some new shows on Netflix to watch. I'll look forward to them at nine when the kids are tucked in.
September is also the month that puts a spotlight on fading memories and minds and mental function.
It is World Alzheimer's Awareness Month.
The month we go purple around the globe and hear more stories of the the tragic condition that is Alzheimer's/Dementia.
Some of us see it first hand - like I have shared with you about my Mom-o.
This month she will turn eighty-nine years old. Her dementia battle will turn six this year. I know that sometimes it is hard to wonder why someone is so baffled by dementia with an elderly loved one. I've heard people say - "Its part of getting old." I grin a little because it really isn't part of getting old and that statement is foolish.
Early On Set Alzheimer's is real.
When you are under sixty-five years of age you still have the chance of developing this disease. How old are you? You aren't protected.
250,000 people are diagnosed or living with early on set Alzheimer's Disease right now in the United States. That is a whole population who are not "old". They are in their 30s, 40s, and 50s.
Can you imagine the pain that is associated with being a parent to a school age kid and slowly forgetting your mom/dad role, their schedule, their birthday, their name, their face?
Let's be real here. Can you fathom not being around for that college graduation? Never getting to go to a wedding dress fitting? Because your mind was stripped of you by fifty-five?
We have to commit to stop thinking this disease is an "old person" disease.
There is no cure for Alz/Dementia. I know Facebook fools you every day with headlines that make it sound like the missing link has been found and a medication is coming to the pharmacy. Sadly guys, it isn't true. If it were I'd be writing to celebrate the healing of my Mom-o's mind and how we whipped this disease. There would be a big party going on had the cure been found.
May I let you in on a secret though?
The link to the cure of this disease....is in you and I.
The scientists, doctors, and researchers can use our help to make progress in finding medication to treat this disease. The only issue is they need money to continue their work. Science is not free. To end Alzheimer's we have to support the scientific community who work day in and day out to cure this disease.
I'm challenging you to give a little something. It may be $5 or $50 - the amount doesn't matter! Any sum of money of can go towards helping the research be completed to get us that much
closer to a cure.
Please donate to my Walk to End Alzheimer's Team: Ruth's Hope. This is my first year participating and I set my bar extremely low. I would love to have some support from you - in honor or memory of someone you have lost to this disease or in hopes that it never ever affects you or your loved ones.
If you're local and will join my walking team please send me an email! I would love to have you walk with me on the morning of October 31st! We can raise awareness and money together for this cause - and have a lot of fun.
Who knows we might just help someone....
