Jane was my mother. She was beautiful. She was smart. She loved the outdoors, her children and grandchildren, her garden, and sailing. And then she started to go away.

I'm not sure when it started, maybe sometime in her early seventies. Little things at first; a forgotten appointment, repeating stories, reduced energy. It took us a long time to realize it was more than just getting old. Then came the erratic driving, trips to the grocery store five times a day, forgetting how to do things she had done all her life, and personality changes. Gradually, we lost my mother; she didn't die, not for awhile at least, but she was unrecognizable as our mother, the woman who had loved us, cared for us, and been a force in our lives. 

After suffering several broken bones and the indignity of life in an assisted living home for two years, Jane passed away in 2012. My adventurous, independent mom was robbed of the opportunity to be a matriarch of a loving, doting family by the insidious disease, Alzheimer's. 

Please, finding out how to prevent and cure Alzheimer's is of the utmost urgency. We must demand immediate action.