The Youth Movement to Eradicate Alzheimer’s Disease
by Dawn Papandrea
Ask anyone and, chances are, Alzheimer’s has had a profound effect on the life of someone close to them. It’s not just an "old" person’s disease. It affects children and grandchildren, families and friends, and anyone who’s helplessly watched their loved one slip away. With more than five million Americans currently battling Alzheimer’s, it’s good to know that the next generation is fighting back. Meet some amazing young people who are raising awareness and hoping for a cure.
Teen Power
Neha Chauhan’s interest in Alzheimer’s disease began with a high school science research project at age 15. “I learned a lot about the disease and about how it impacted my community. There are 15,000 people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease in my hometown of Staten Island, New York," she says.
Neha wanted to do something, so she wrote a letter to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) and expressed her interest in engaging teenagers in their mission. “I found AFA’s focus on care especially important," she says.
Just days after sending her letter, Neha received a phone call from the CEO of the Alzheimer’s Foundation. “He expressed interest in my vision, and had several ideas of his own. Together, we worked to create AFA Teens, the teenage branch of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America." Today, the group is growing strong with local chapters around the country, and a scholarship contest. “We need young people to step up and have a voice for those who do not. Young people are more connected than ever before, and, as a result, they are able to make a bigger impact than ever before," says Neha. “It comes down to how you want to use your passion toward the cause."
AFA Teens is helping young people like Katie Henley, this year’s AFA Teens for Alzheimer’s Awareness College Scholarship winner, embrace their passion for this important cause. After Katie lost her dad (that’s him pictured with her when she was young), she turned her grief into an opportunity to educate others
about early-onset Alzheimer’s. “He was diagnosed at 40 and almost four years to the date of that diagnosis, he died. The most profound thing this disease imparted on me was that it doesn’t in any way allow its victims to fight." That’s why, she says, it’s up to others to fight for them.
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