Help Courtney raise money

Hello family, friends, and colleagues,

I am proud to share that I will be running the 2023 Asics Falmouth Road Race on Sunday, August 20th, on behalf of the Alzheimer’s Association and I am graciously asking for your support. I am running to honor my Mom, Lynda Swanda, who was diagnosed with the disease in January 2021.  Two and a half years ago, amidst the backdrop of the pandemic, my Mom had just finished her radiation therapy for Endometrial Cancer and she was faced with yet another devastating diagnosis. She took it in stride and told me, “I am going to fight for as long as I can Court.” Her surrender to this evil disease has been quick. She is now living in a memory care unit within a continuing care community in Bennington, Vermont, where I grew up.  

There have been so many moments when I have felt angry - angry at the pandemic for robbing me of so much time with my parents for fear of getting them sick when my mom was in recovery, angry at the unlucky hand that my mom was dealt, and angry at both of my parents for not letting me help them more directly through all of the obstacles both cancer and Alzheimer’s have presented them with over these past several years. Most of all, I have been angry at the disease itself. It is not a normal part of aging. In my eyes, it’s a devastating, invasive attack on the brain that has robbed my Mom of her ability to think, to be independent, of her identity, of her memories, of her role as grandmother to my children, and her life story.

No one ever prepares you for the day when your parent won’t know you by name or remember your children or spouse and what that will feel like. I know that the feelings of sadness, anger, pain, and regret need to be acknowledged and felt deeply, but I don’t want them to control the time I have left with her. There are aspects of this journey I do have control over. I want to continue learning how to bring her joy during the remaining time I have left with her, and I also want to take action to support the effort to find better treatments or a cure to prevent others from losing loved ones to this disease. 

While I am running for my Mom, I am also running to honor all those affected by this horrible disease, but also for the first survivor. I truly believe that someday, there will be a cure. Currently, more than 6 million Americans live with Alzheimer's, and over 11 million people provide unpaid care for them. This disease will cost the U.S. over $345 billion in 2023. It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. One in three seniors die from it, two-thirds of those living with Alzheimer's are women, and one in five women over 45 will be diagnosed. These facts and others are staggering and by 2050 the number of people living with Alzheimer's will almost double. 

Likely, you already know someone in your life who has been impacted by this disease or will be in the future. Please join the fight and if you are able, donate to help support local families and to advance research for treatments and a cure. I have to believe that the first survivor of Alzheimer's is out there, but we need your help to find them. 

With sincere gratitude and appreciation for your generosity,

Courtney