Reversing Brain Disorders

For those of you I don't know, my name is James.  I work in the tech industry, helping to start and grow new businesses. I feel lucky to work in an industry where a vision can become a reality.  And yet, when my dad Arnie (pictured above with 2 of our children) was diagnosed with a brain condition, both he and I were initially left feeling powerless.

Arnie has a brain condition called primary progressive aphasia. This disorder affects his cognitive and language functions. It can make it harder for him to follow what other people are saying, and also harder for him to find the words to express himself.

Whether its primary progressive aphasia, or other brain disorders such as Dementia, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, many of us will come face-to-face with these issues, either ourselves or through our loved ones.

My dad's a very action-oriented guy. He doesn’t sit still and just let things happen to him. I’m really proud of him for that. He’s working hard to get his cognitive functioning back. He stays physically active, sees a speech therapist every week, and spends several hours every day doing online brain exercises. He's also been learning how to juggle as a way to stimulate brain function! And he wants to help others who are dealing with the adversity of brain disorders. 

Together, we've been researching the causes of cognitive deterioration, and the best emerging treatments. This is a rapidly developing field. As part of our process, we’ve reached out to leading experts to find out about the most important and promising work that is being done. This has led us to Dr. Wes Ely.

Dr. Ely is a scientist, professor and emergency medicine specialist at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. He’s a very purpose-driven guy. Dr. Ely says that life is about “improving the lives of people you’ll never meet”.  He's particularly passionate about senior care.  He’s focused on the problems that affect millions of older people who suffer from long-term cognitive impairment, and the ways that affected people can actually heal from these cognitive challenges.
More about Dr. Wes Ely 

Dr. Ely is conducting a study using online brain training software, to demonstrate that a consistent, intensive (60 hour) course of training can have a very strong rejuvenating cognitive impact, as an alternative or complement to medication. This form of technology-enabled therapy is not yet recognized as a standard of care, so as a result, Dr. Ely has been piecemealing private support to pay for the study. 

We are looking to raise $15,000 to help Dr. Ely and his team complete this study with 40 patients who have cognitive impairment. Update: Thanks so much for your amazing support. This has been an incredible week. Arnie, Dr. Ely and I are all very touched. We have increased our fundraising target to $20,000. The money we’re raising will pay for several things. First, it will cover computer and Internet access for the study participants. Second, it will provide a limited salary and expenses for a trained psychologist to assess the subjects before, during and after the training  
More about the Brain Recovery Study 

The money raised will be provided to Dr. Ely’s Cognitive Impairment Study Group at Vanderbilt’s School of Medicine. I will be withdrawing the funds from this GoFundMe campaign and will be delivering the money directly to Dr. Ely's program. The creator of the brain training software to be used is graciously providing the software free of charge. 

Based on the completion of this initial trial, the goal is to move to a larger FDA level trial that will be required to establish this novel approach as a new standard of care for patients.

Please let us know if you have questions. Arnie and I are personally going to make donations to Dr. Ely's research. We are very thankful for your consideration and for any support that you can provide to this important cause. 

James & Arnie Slavet