FAMILY

FAMILY
I fight for a cure for me & our amazing children❤️

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Good times in Chicago 😁

It’s so beautiful here today! I’m in downtown Chicago for the Alzheimer’s Assoc National Board meeting. I arrived on Wednesday and won’t be coming home until Sunday night. A busy week for me, but I’m happy to be using my brain and adding value to some of the committees I’m on.

The flight out was great and thankfully I had an aisle seat. I got to the airport early and grabbed a latte and made it to the gate in time for early boarding. One of the huge benefits of living with and having what’s considered a disability, is that I get to pre board!! I am so happy to be one of the first people on the plane and to get my bag in the bin before things start getting too crowded.  The plane was almost 100% full by the time everyone else was boarding. Summer definitely brings all the families and makes for long lines!

I was also very happy to see my fellow board member & good buddy Karen on my flight! She’s such a great person and I always love spending time with her. We shared an Uber to the hotel and ate in the lobby so we could watch the Warriors game. Unfortunately it was not a great game and the Warriors lost to the Raptors, 123-109.

The next day I got up early for my committee meeting. This year I was asked to join a committee that is looking at our Mission & Vision statement. It was created in 2005 and it is time to perhaps modify and update the wording. I’m so thankful to be part of this and have been doing my best to add value and help shape the future. Thankfully all my years at Intel have prepared me for this type of work. It’s a little confusing at times but everyone is very kind and helpful, which I greatly appreciate.

Later that evening the rest of the BOD arrived and we had a lovely reception and cocktail hour. Many of the folks went out to dinner but I was exhausted so I sat with my friend Tom who also has Alzheimer’s, and his husband Levi. I had a fabulous dinner of prawns, lobster  and vegetables!

We had a drink and talked and I was sorry to hear that Tom, in addition to Alzheimer’s, has been diagnosed with Levy Body Dementia and Parkinson’s. He is doing the best he can and is a fabulous speaker and he and his husband have been very active with events and programs. I will continue to pray for them and for all of us who are living with this disease🙏

The next day was the official start of our Board meeting but I didn’t need to be there until after lunch. I decided to be brave and to take a walk outside all by myself 😁 I don’t know the area well but I felt certain I could find my way back - and I did!! I got in 2 miles and enjoyed the sunshine and then hurried over to the office with the help of Tom & Levi.

We had a research update that was awesome and followed with a fabulous formal dinner event. Afterwards I needed some rest and went straight to bed!

The following day was our final day and most folks left after the closed session. I had an event to speak at the next day so I was able to get some rest and spent a few quality hours resting and watching Netflix!

Sunday was fabulous and I was honored to speak at the Illinois chapter event ‘The Power of Purple’. There were over 200 people and I was very happy to see so many men in attendance. Most of these events are filled with women but it’s great to educate everyone about this disease.

I was on stage following Dr. Maria Carrillo who was giving an update on the science and the new research projects. I cried several times as I shared my story, more than I normally do. I’m not sure why but thankfully I held it together the best I could. We both answered questions from the audience afterwards which was a nice touch.


Following the event I met with Amy Boyle who is undertaking a year long weekly photo essay project. She’s highlighting 52 phenomenal women💜 All those participating will be supporting the efforts of ‘Dress For Success’.  I was happy to donate to her cause and was honored to be selected and photographed! She’s fabulous and I am impressed with the great work she is doing.

I arrived home very late that night and got a few hours of sleep. I would have spent the day resting normally but I had signed up to be the hostess at our ‘Longest Day’ fundraiser event in San Ramon so that wasn’t possible. I ran around town buying balloons and grabbing purple items from the Alzheimer’s office in Lafayette so I could decorate and arrive by 4pm for our training! Yikes. That was a long day. But here’s the good news, actually the great news 😊 We raised $2000 that night in the fight to #ENDALZ🎉

So today I slept in and then had a fabulous time with my girlfriend in Pleasanton at the mall. We ate lunch, went shopping and tried to get some exercise by walking the mall! Oh and we had some retail therapy at Macy’s too🤣

Now it’s time to rest and love on Rusty, and listen to my book on Audible! It was another busy few days but I continue to be amazed & blessed by all the love and support that comes my way. Thank you all and God bless you 🙏🏻 You lift me up and keep me smiling😎