#EndAlz

*Updated May 2017*

Change is a constant. In the years since I created this page on my blog, I have to admit that I have not been much of an Alzheimer's advocate...I've been too consumed with being an Alzheimer's caregiver.

As that journey continues, I wanted to make a few changes to reflect the fact that I am still in the fight and will do my best to balance the two. Because sadly, this journey will not have a positive outcome; yet, I am determined to work towards changing that result for others.

I plan to participate in the Alzheimer's Walk again in the future. Not sure if it will happen this year, but even if not, I plan to support the team started by my line sister, Bee's Entourage. If not her team, then somebody's team because the statistics on future Alzheimer's diagnosis tell us that everyone will be touched by this disease at some point in the future. So here is what I am asking you to do:
1. Donate to an Alzheimer's organization;
2. Support a local team at the Alz Walk in your community;
3. Send a card or a note of encouragement to a caregiver of someone with Alzheimer's;
4. Visit someone with Alzheimer's; or
5. If you are worried about how to manage life with Alzheimer's as either a patient or a caregiver, start to plan now. Preserve memories, execute the appropriate documents, assemble a team of medical support, and pray.

There is a lot I could say about my experience, especially in the last six months where we have had many challenges. I will inevitably write about those issues at some point on the blog but I want to emphasize that despite every dark moment, I have gained a sense of resilience that only comes through trips through hell. I have been singed, but I am still going.

And so is my mother.


As many of you probably know, the Busy Black Woman is always involved in something! Last year I wrote all about it here. 

This year, I have re-arranged my priorities a bit to reflect some new realities.  I am still active in my sorority and college alumnae association, and now it seems that I might be adding a few other civic affiliations to the list.  But I decided to dedicate a separate page on this blog to highlight the Alzheimer's Association and some of the brave Busy Black Women who have been impacted by Alzheimer's and dementia.

As most of you know, dementia became a fact of my life with my mother's diagnosis last year, and as a person who believes in doing something, I participated in the Alzheimer's Walk last November.  In my personal struggle to balance the desire for some privacy with the need to be an advocate (because that is who I am), I determined that as a part of the natural evolution of this blog, I would address caregiving as a dimension of my Busy Black life.

Thus, please watch this space for a few developments in the coming months regarding the work I intend to undertake beyond walking.  In the meantime, please donate to Bee's Entourage, the team I will be walking with on October 27, 2012!

And, please take a few moments to learn more about these courageous women who have become my newest sheroes:

Etta James



Pat Summitt



Lady Margaret Thatcher



Sylvia Woods



Rita Hayworth