It Takes A Village to Fight against Alzheimer's

It is with a heavy heart that we share with you the news that our Father, Richard Hucek, passed away peacefully on February 6th holding his wife's hand and with his three children also by his side.

As you very well might know, it not only takes a village but a lot of resources to care for a parent with Alzheimer's.

In June of 2009, Ricky received the ground-shaking diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s. But nothing was going to shake this family, we all strapped in tight for what was to be a long and wild ride filled with curves, steep inclines and descents.

Richard had fought hard but not alone. His devoted and very in love wife, Alejandra, has fought by his side for over 15 years against this ruthless degenerative disease. Through hell and high water, this tandem has overcome the unimaginable. Our Mom bravely and wholeheartedly jumped to the occasion as full-time guardian and caretaker during all the remaining years of our father’s life. We had to get pretty creative at times, caring for Ricky in the most respectable and dignified manner. Unfortunately, there comes a point when you just can't do it alone anymore, you need a larger support base. As he progressed into the later stages of Alzheimer’s we found ourselves needing more muscle power to support his 24/7 primary care needs. Hesitantly, we started looking into nursing homes which seemed out of our reach. In 2019, our prayers seemed to have been answered when Ricky was not only accepted into a state-renowned nursing home but also fully covered for his all-inclusive, full-time care due to his Medicaid eligibility.

Richard received access to all the resources and amenities to support him through the last and most physically challenging stage of Alzheimer’s. We are beyond grateful for the quality of care he received. It takes a village.

In the name of Richard and his unrelinquishing human spirit, please consider helping us by taking a moment to donate what you can in the spirit of outshining the darkness that is Alzheimer's, for end-of-life services and cremation costs.

Love,

Alejandra, Travis, Katherine and Marilyn