A Night To Remember
Donation protected
On May 25th, Sam Steel – an amazing Ottawa singer/songwriter – is hosting ‘A Night To Remember’. This event will be an incredible night of music, fun, food and, most importantly, fundraising for the Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County. Tickets will be going on sale in a couple of weeks, but you can get involved NOW. You can show you care NOW. You can make a difference in your community NOW.
Dementia has affected the lives of so many people - too many people, and each one has a personal story to tell.
This is Sam's Story.
I remember being thirteen years old and visiting my grandmother in the home. After my grandfather passed away, it became clear to her seven children that she was unable to care for herself any longer - that her mind had drifted and that, at any given moment, she was in another moment in time in her mind.
I remember that my dad went to visit her every Tuesday night, and that sometimes, on weekends, both of my parents would take my siblings and me to visit her. I remember sitting down across from her at the home while she tried to feed me applesauce, as though I was a baby, speaking words that I couldn’t understand because her language skills had regressed to babbling. I remember sitting in the common area with several other people whose stories were no longer clear to them, while my dad played guitar, and sometimes they might remember the song or the melody or simply that the sound made them happy.
These moments were the last memories that I would create of time spent with my grandmother. She passed away in the home with the family that she brought into this world gathered around her, but without the ability to recognize who we were or tell us what she was feeling.
Beyond the specific details, this is not an uncommon story. My grandmother died with Dementia, a disease more widely referred to as Alzheimer’s, the latter actually being part of a subgroup of diseases that can lead to Dementia disorder. Signs of the disorder showed before my grandfather passed away, but like many others in similar situations, he refused to acknowledge that “forgetfulness” had turned into something more serious. It is a terrible thing to acknowledge, and watch happen, because there is no answer to the problem.
For all of our science, research demands funding, and this is a cause that has been neglected despite the fact that it affects the lives of millions of people and families worldwide.
My first effort in the goal to increase funding for Dementia is called A Night To Remember. In association with the Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County, it will be a night of musical entertainment, food, fun, and most importantly fundraising. The event takes place on May 25th, at Lago Bar and Grill, and we want to make it a party that will make a difference. We want you to be there with us, to join in the fun, and to create a night that you don’t want to forget.
But we don’t have to wait for that special night to start making a difference, we can start here and now! I am sending out this story, a moment out of my own personal history, to all of you with the hopes that you will be able to connect it to some piece of your own story. That you will remember or learn just how large the role of Dementia within our society is, and that research matters.
I ask that you donate with me to the Dementia Society, donate whatever you are able. Let’s lay bricks in the path toward life-long memory, memory of who we are, what we have done, how we interact, how we function, and the legacies we leave behind.
Thank you, with all my heart, for your contribution.
Peace and Love,
Sam Steel
If you have any questions about this event or you would like to get more involved, please contact the event organizer, Aimée Dupuis by sending a message on here or at https://www.facebook.com/music.samsteel/
Dementia has affected the lives of so many people - too many people, and each one has a personal story to tell.
This is Sam's Story.
I remember being thirteen years old and visiting my grandmother in the home. After my grandfather passed away, it became clear to her seven children that she was unable to care for herself any longer - that her mind had drifted and that, at any given moment, she was in another moment in time in her mind.
I remember that my dad went to visit her every Tuesday night, and that sometimes, on weekends, both of my parents would take my siblings and me to visit her. I remember sitting down across from her at the home while she tried to feed me applesauce, as though I was a baby, speaking words that I couldn’t understand because her language skills had regressed to babbling. I remember sitting in the common area with several other people whose stories were no longer clear to them, while my dad played guitar, and sometimes they might remember the song or the melody or simply that the sound made them happy.
These moments were the last memories that I would create of time spent with my grandmother. She passed away in the home with the family that she brought into this world gathered around her, but without the ability to recognize who we were or tell us what she was feeling.
Beyond the specific details, this is not an uncommon story. My grandmother died with Dementia, a disease more widely referred to as Alzheimer’s, the latter actually being part of a subgroup of diseases that can lead to Dementia disorder. Signs of the disorder showed before my grandfather passed away, but like many others in similar situations, he refused to acknowledge that “forgetfulness” had turned into something more serious. It is a terrible thing to acknowledge, and watch happen, because there is no answer to the problem.
For all of our science, research demands funding, and this is a cause that has been neglected despite the fact that it affects the lives of millions of people and families worldwide.
My first effort in the goal to increase funding for Dementia is called A Night To Remember. In association with the Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County, it will be a night of musical entertainment, food, fun, and most importantly fundraising. The event takes place on May 25th, at Lago Bar and Grill, and we want to make it a party that will make a difference. We want you to be there with us, to join in the fun, and to create a night that you don’t want to forget.
But we don’t have to wait for that special night to start making a difference, we can start here and now! I am sending out this story, a moment out of my own personal history, to all of you with the hopes that you will be able to connect it to some piece of your own story. That you will remember or learn just how large the role of Dementia within our society is, and that research matters.
I ask that you donate with me to the Dementia Society, donate whatever you are able. Let’s lay bricks in the path toward life-long memory, memory of who we are, what we have done, how we interact, how we function, and the legacies we leave behind.
Thank you, with all my heart, for your contribution.
Peace and Love,
Sam Steel
If you have any questions about this event or you would like to get more involved, please contact the event organizer, Aimée Dupuis by sending a message on here or at https://www.facebook.com/music.samsteel/
Organizer
Aimee Dupuis
Organizer
Ottawa, ON
