Cure Dementia: Run For Their Thoughts

Co-organized

Betsy Hall and 2 others are organizing this fundraiser to benefit The Bluefield Project to Cure Frontotemporal Dementia.

Tax deductible

ONE simple questions:

QUESTION 1
WHO do you know with dementia?
(ex: Alzheimer’s, ALS, Parkinson’s, FTD, etc.?)

For two of us - it's our mom- diagnosed at 56 with early onset. It's also our grandmother and two uncles...
For others on the team, it's our grandmother...our grandfather...
Who is it for you?

The crux of dementia is that our loved ones can’t self-advocate. Our mother went mute and could no longer read or write within 2 years.

There are NO SURVIVORS TO DEMENTIA.

If we don’t stand up and be their voice, how will this ever change?

Therefore, while we cannot bring our loved ones back, but for us, if running a marathon up and over a mountain raises awareness and brings people together for a cure ......Challenge Accepted!

~~~~~~~~Running For Their Thoughts 2019~~~~~~~~

Sponsor/Join us
- Our team of 11 will be taking on the Italian Alps -
- Distance: between 26 and 74 miles (each)!
- Elevation: Over 8500ft of elevation (each)!

Meet the Team: Dolomites Extravaganza

Damien
Rob
Monica
Audrey
Betsy
Tina
Joe
Jim
Amanda
Florence
Bryan

We have been training for MONTHS to honor loved ones with dementia and help prevent the next generation from dealing with this epidemic. If you'd like to hear more about Mary, diagnosed with early onset, please read below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Last year we took on Vesuvius...2018 vesuvio team)

OUR STORY:

Mom—mother of 5, school nurse, and wife of 30 years—was only 61.

Hi, we're Tina and Betsy. Dementia has impacted our family, unfortunately, on more than one occasion. First with our great uncle. Then, when we were in our early 20s, Mom –56—was diagnosed with an early onset dementia called “frontotemporal dementia (FTD).”

6 months later ourgrandmother was diagnosed. Now another uncle is in his late stages...

There was not a single treatment or drug to help them when diagnosed. We were told to go home and keep them comfortable…the disease would take 2-10 years.

Our mother and grandmother progressed in parallel...within 2 years their ability to read/write/communicate was taken away. Two years later they could not walk or eat on their own. When Mom could no longer swallow food, we decided it was time to let her go....

They both passed away within five years of diagnosis.

Since then, our family continues to team up with others like Amanda and Bryan and others running this race, who have also lost loved ones -- and TOGETHER we support the leading dementia nonprofit, The Bluefield Project.*

Our goal: Increase the connection between research, community and change.

*Bluefield Project leads the way because they collaborate rather than compete with over 21 research institutes to accelerate towards a cure.

Thanks to their approach they have gone from theoretical concepts to lab research to clinical trials and soon to be drug therapy in just over a decade!!! That's the speed of sound in the medical world!!

In summary - this is not an individual solution: it's the spare change and 2 minutes coming from everyone collectively supporting and telling their stories that makes the difference.

Thank you for listening to our story and we hope by telling ours, we help your family as well and together find a cure for dementia/hope for the next generation.

~~Team For Their Thoughts - Dolomites Extravaganza ~~

Damien
Rob
Monica
Audrey
Betsy
Tina
Joe
Jim
Amanda
Florence
Bryan

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