Imagine it is the year 2030. Your parents are two of the 7.7 million Americans who have Alzheimer’s disease. You have two kids to take care of and a demanding job. You want to take care of your parents, but cannot physically be there all the time to make sure they are okay. You see your parents’ savings rapidly disappear. You are emotionally drained as you watch your parents slowly lose the ability to do everything. What can you do? What could you have done differently?
Luckily, it is not 2030, but 2012. I am writing this article because I think it is time that we as a nation step up to the plate and tackle this problem head on. Yes, I think it is fantastic that the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) passed in January 2011. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “The National Alzheimer’s Project Act requires creation of a national strategic plan to address the rapidly escalating Alzheimer’s disease crisis and will coordinate Alzheimer’s disease efforts across the federal government.” NAPA was a start, but we need to pass legislation which will actually accomplish goals and not just state them. Congress needs to follow through and pass the Alzheimer’s legislation that is on the table: the HOPE Act and the Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act. These two acts provide legislation that will implement the goals set in the NAPA Act. It is an election year, and so many people do not think much legislation will be passed this year. This is my message to Congress: Prove me wrong and pass this legislation to start the path to end Alzheimer’s.
Congress — if we hold off investing for a cure or a way to slow the progression of the disease today, we will be paying for it later. According to the Alzheimer’s Association: “Over the next 40 years, caring for individuals with Alzheimer’s will cost American society $20 trillion — including $15 trillion to Medicare and Medicaid.” With a health care system that already has its problems, Alzheimer’s disease will only escalate them.
As a nation, we can ill-afford to continue with the status quo in dealing with Alzheimer’s. And frankly, the members of Congress are in an age group that should be very concerned about Alzheimer’s. According to the Congressional Research Service, in the 112th Congress the average age of a U.S. Senator is 62.2 years old and the average age of a U.S. Representative is 56.7 years old. The problems accompanying aging are sobering to think about, and they are an honest reality which our lawmakers should consider.
Finally, I want to reach out to my generation. I am 22 years old and know firsthand the effects of Alzheimer’s, as my grandfather had the disease. I also know that I am in the generation which many older Americans describe as “the screwed generation.” We are the generation which is going to have to pay the piper from the federal deficit. We are the generation which will not get Social Security and other benefits which older Americans receive today. Does that mean we are supposed to just accept every problem and not try to improve things? No, we can do our part and try to help best we can.
It always helps to have a celebrity who supports a cause that needs attention. Seth Rogen and his wife, Lauren Miller, recently held an event called “Hilarity For Charity” to raise money and awareness among the younger generation about Alzheimer’s disease. To quote Seth, “Hilarity for Charity started as a message to my generation that it’s time to step up and realize that Alzheimer’s is not just an ‘old person disease,’ but something that will greatly affect all of us.”
Seth and Lauren are actively involved in raising awareness and fundraising for Alzheimer’s, as Lauren’s mother was diagnosed with the disease at the age of 55. They raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for their event and are a great example of how younger generations can make a difference.
Where does that leave us? Of course we do not have the same outreach as a Hollywood star, but we can do plenty. We can be a voice. Please go to this website — http://www.alzimpact.org/Legislative-Action-Center — to write your Congressmen and ask him to help pass legislation which can help cure Alzheimer’s. You can also take 30 seconds to fill out a form which will go to President Obama to ask him to include Alzheimer’s in his budget this year: http://www.alz.org/petition/. It may not feel like much, but it truly will make a difference.
David Goldberg is the founder of Hoos for Memory.
Thank you David!
I’m 65, and just went through the devastating heartbreak of Alz with my Mom. Via Google News, I just read your column, not only did I do as you requested, but took out a membership at AIM, the site you directed me to. You’re very wise to have this concern, and I hope others enlist in your sincere concern. It’s truly encouraging, that someone as young as you are, is engaged in this endeavor!
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As a physician and UVa grad, and also the son of a Mom with advanced Dementia, (all Dementia is NOT Alzheimer’s), I feel the pain. My Mother has no recollection of her family, names, birthdays celebrations, they are all gone. She doesn’t remember her husband of 53 years, her home of 47 years or her Grandchildren. It is sad. It hurts. However, in no way do I feel our Government should commit my and your tax dollars to so narrow a focus. Cancer kills far more people with devastating effects on families, friends and society. Heart disease kills even more still and in most cases is preventable and more easily treatable. We MUST focus our concern, read dollars here, on what we know we can change and hope that that we will have enough funds from other sources to discover treatments and cures for all the new illnesses cropping up. See what Bill Gates is doing with Malaria world-wide. AIDS is a fabulous model for how well we can do if we focus on what we know and expand it, and how one project can spin off into benefits for many others. We have very limited funds now and they will only be more limited in the future. We are also riding the crest of a massive tidal wave of Baby Boomers entering the “illness stage” of later life. We simply cannot and afford to fund everything. Some very difficult, life altering, decisions are overdue to be made. Funding everything will mean that there will be fewer and fewer funds left for all of your college educations, and my children’s as well.
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Shawn, while I acknowledge your right to express that opinion, I respectfully disagree. Why encourage a mentality that it is beyond our capacity to fight this disease head on? The research from around this country in basic science laboratories and clinical trials is encouraging and exciting, but this issue demands the immediate attention and full fledged support of our legislature. Whatever one’s opinions may be on where government should stand on causes such as this one, here are the facts: Over five million people are estimated to suffer from Alzheimer’s and just under 200 billion dollars is currently spent annually in response. Alzheimer’s is by no means too narrow an issue. For each of the many patients who suffers from the neurodegenerative disorder, there is a son, a daughter, a husband, a wife, a friend who experiences immense turmoil–stress at home, stress in the workplace, emotional damage, fear of the genetic implications of the disease–the list goes on and on. Whether as a healthcare provider, a student, a family member, or a patient, we are all vulnerable. We need to advocate for those who can no longer advocate for themselves, and we need to advocate for ourselves as well. Through the passionate and focused effort of those such as David, I see great hope for this cause and for the future of this nation!
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I agree with Mark, and again, respectfully disagree with Shawn. Your statements regarding Bill Gates’ efforts toward Malaria and the success of reducing the prevalence of AIDS only supports David’s arguments. We need to have more people working toward solving these and other health-related issues, and this is exactly what David is trying to do. David’s and others’ contributions may lead to an end or significant reduction to Alzheimer’s. Why wouldn’t we do this? As far as the government spending money on this, either independently or in conjunction with the larger private market, think of it as an investment. Just like how Bill Gates is spending now to save the future, in the form of life and money, government funding of Alzheimer’s can also reduce the money spent on the disease in the future. Spend pennies today; save dimes tomorrow! Go David!
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While I understand your point on the surface, Shawn, I will also have to respectfully, and strongly, disagree. Even today, the Huffington Post posted this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-j-hall/alzheimers-research-_b_1261361.html which directly refutes most, if not all of your points. I should reiterate that 5.1 million Americans CURRENTLY live with this disease, not to mention the effects on their friends and families, which if I’m not mistaken, includes you. Alzheimer’s is one of the top 10 public health issues facing the American population, and with this, it is not a “new illness cropping up”. It is actually costing the American people TRILLIONS of dollars in spending now. Increasing funding to find treatment of this disease is, as I quote this article, “perhaps the single most effective strategy in reducing national spending on health care.” The future of the economy looks even more grim if diseases like this remain unassisted by the government.
Shawn, I understand wanting a better future for our children, and I agree that the government should allot more money to education, but I wonder what your alternative suggestion would be to combat this disease? From your statement, I feel that you’re suggesting the public just forget about it and let the disease run its course? Does it have to be one or the other? I believe that alloting money to Alzheimer’s does not have to hinder education…that seems severe.
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I agree with both of you , and as a child of a parent with the disease and concurrent health problems with other family members to whom I am repsonsible, I really do feel the stress on top of a practice which I have to manage on a daily basis. My only point is that this is NOT the Government’s responsibility. My point with Bill Gates, and your agreement with that point, singles out the NEED to find other sources of revenue support for the disease. In spite of the recent “successes” with therapies for the illness, we remain at least a decade away from any meaningful treatment for the disease. And that is assuming these pipeline therapies can make it through clinical trials without actually making the illness worse or killing people in the process. We need research, brains and quite frrankly a hefty dose of luck to make this work. I’ve been at this medicine thing for a long time I can tell you that we’re a long way from home on this one and it is critical to find funding from somewhere other than Washington DC.
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As someone also dealing with these issues with my mother, we can’t let ourselves get drawn into the all too common collegiate, naive notion that we are doing anything by throwing money at a disease. I’m sorry to her about everyone’s problems, but none of us are going to buy our way out of seeing our loved ones die. And most of them will die slowly. And it will be difficult.
Look at the loads of cash thrown at breast cancer the past 20 years (while we continue to deliberately ignore what causes breast cancer). Look at all the billions wasted on fetal and embryonic stem cell research (see: “Pancakes for Parkinson’s”) while adult and chord blood turned out to be the stuff that worked. Compare that to funding for research for less fashionable diseases like prostate cancer or leukemia.
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Hey Sean,
I don’t really know where you get your facts from regarding “throwing away money”, but I found some links to demonstrate to you that money actually goes to research, treatment, education, and fundraising.
Breast cancer: http://www.health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20235965,00.html
Parkinsons: http://www.michaeljfox.org/help_whereYourMoneyGoes.cfm
Prostate cancer: http://us.movember.com/about/money/
Those are just some examples.
I think the real common collegiate notion is making blanket statements without making your sources known.
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Sartre said that simply by living we all possess the ability to die and regardless of how much money we throw at all diseases we will ALL die. The point I believe is to make that death as palatable as possible. Some causes are more acceptable than others, Alzheimer’s it would seem is not acceptable. Well then what is?? In fact, few people actually die of Dementia. They die of related issues many of which are treatable and also need to be funded. My point is to try to gain the most bang for the buck we spend, and Alzheimer’s is unfortunately NOT high on that list. That’s why private dollars ala Gates were discussed in the first place. Sean is absolutely correct, it would be wonderful to maintain the collegiate naivte and believe we can have it all. We cannot. Sorry to tell you that, it is a discussion for another day.
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This article was meant to get young adults aware of how they can get involved in ending Alzheimer’s. It’s to let them know that there is an easy way, if they so desire, to contact their elected leaders about issues that they feel are important. As a young adult working in the medical field and as a future physician, I find this issue important. As the grandson of someone who had Alzheimer’s, this is on my list of priorities. That’s my opinion, and you are free to disagree.
I agree with the statement that it is not the government’s responsibility to pay for every problem we ever encounter as citizens. I disagree that the government should maintain the status quo with Alzheimer’s funding and expect any chance of improving treatments in the near future. As long as Alzheimer’s costs trillions of dollars in medical expenses, I think that we should make it a higher priority than it is right now. I’m aware that one day we will all die. I don’t believe that Alzheimer’s is a way most people want to spend their last few years. Also, it’s important to point out that Alzheimer’s is NOT just an “old person’s disease.” People in the 50’s, 40’s, and even 30’s can develop the disease and leave a family in shambles.
I would love if a billionaire, such as Bill Gates, decided to donate $50 million to Alzheimer’s research. In fact, maybe a billionaire who is personally affected by Alzheimer’s will be inspired by the recent increase in Alzheimer’s research by the NIH and match their funds. In the meantime, I’ll use whatever means I can to advance awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s.
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David, I think we are saying the same thing from different perspectives. I went through Pre-Med at UVa, Medical school in Boston, (That school), residency, taught in Massachusetts for 4 years in academic Medicine and now Private practice. The article says “Congress out to… pass laws ” supporting Alzheimer’s Research. The last thing we need is Laws requiring us to fund the research. What we need is passionate people like yourself, willing to sacrifice some time and money, (that’s the hard part) to do the research and “discover” the protein or proteins responsible for cell transit or blockage or whatever associated with this disease. Understand now as a young budding researcher, the funds are the hardest thing to get. It sounds like you have the passion, the smarts and the drive. Those alone are a dangerous combination and you should be proud, but it will take money, and LOTS of it to get the equipment and help required to complete this. I wish you the best of luck and for what it’s worth, I give a significant amount of my income to Alzheimer’s and U Va annually. By the by, my daughter refused to go to U Va in spite of my encouragement and donations, she’s a Junior at Tufts. If you haven’t already, please try to take one of James Childress’ courses on Biomedical ethics in the Religion Department. They are truly outstanding and will hold you in very good stead in your Medical Life. He is an outstanding teacher and friend.
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Shawn,
As a doctor, I would assume that you are aware that Alzheimer’s is the ONLY cause of death among the Top 10 that can not be treated, slowed, or cured. You know that, right?
And as someone who seems to have such a passion about what the government should fund, I assume you’re aware of how the government spent their money in 2011 according to this USA Today article: http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/medical/alzheimers/story/2012-01-16/US-launches-national-war-on-Alzheimers/52603476/1. Here’s an excerpt:
“The government spent about $500 million in 2011 on research for Alzheimer’s and related dementias. By comparison, approximately $521 million was spent on complementary and alternative medicine and $823 million on obesity. Cancer drew a $6 billion check in 2011 for starters, with additional funding allocated for breast, brain and lung cancers.”
What you’re not aware of is that I’m in my 20′s. My mother is in her 50′s and she has early onset Alzheimer’s. I would give anything for my parents to have 53 years together. But they’re not going to even get close to that. My mom will probably never get to meet my future children, her grandchildren. And if she does, she’ll have no idea who they are. Because most of the time, she already doesn’t know who I am.
So, until there is a chemo to treat or slow Alzheimer’s, or early detection to find Alzheimer’s, or a healthy eating plan to prevent Alzheimer’s, like those other diseases who are already getting exponentially larger amounts of money, I’m going to take the money wherever we can get it. Because from where I’m sitting, we need it. We need it bad. And we might even need it more.
I find it offensive and upsetting that a physician, who has experienced the effects of Alzheimer’s personally, could possibly suggest giving less funding to such a devastating and scary epidemic that currently has NO hope.
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As a physician, and realist, who has lost one parent to a violent death and now has the other with an incurable chronic debilitating disease, I know all too well the pains you will no doubt have to deal with. However, as a realist, and physician, I put absolutely no creedence in ANY medical article coming out of USA today or other non peer eviewed Journal. Call it arrogant if you want but I know even peer reviewed articles that were once taken as Gospel but are now completely debunked. I have personally seen very famous physicins, some politically connected, lie to get ahead in the Academic world. I do feel your pain as Clinton once said, but I also know that for this nation to move forward, we must concentrate our funding on things that will have the most effect on the populace. Alzheimer’s is getting to that point but is not yet there (Cancer, heart disease, obesity)and in no way did I say we should NEVER fund it, just not make it a LAW as the article, (remeember the article that started all this?) stated. I hope that you get as much time with your Mom as you can, I was lucky and had extended period with both parents, but lost a friend and colleague last week at 45 with 9,10, and 12 year old kids to Heart disease. My money, and this is just my opinion, is better spent on curing that disease. I will not get into the tissue culture research that pegs Maximum human life at 150 yeasrs!
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Shawn, you talk about being a realist, but you don’t provide any suggestions on how you think this “incurable chronic debilitating disease” should be handled. Are you suggesting we, as people, just ‘let it go’ so to speak? Are you just going to wait around until some billionaire, a la Bill Gates, gives a huge chunk of money? Is that really any way to live? Just wait around until someone else does it? Doesn’t the fact that there is such a horrible ‘incurable chronic debilitating disease’ out there make you want to do something about it? Where’s the hope if things were to go your way?
The word ‘law’ seems to upset you, and other conservatives. Would the word ‘funding’ make it any better?
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The Cavalier Daily was kind enough to post my article, and as such they were free to introduce the concept as they wished. I can see where the language of “law” can be upsetting, but in essence, federal funding is a law giving money to fund a cause. If you’d like to read the original article, please see my post on Dementia Dynamics’ blog: http://dementiadynamics.com/ending-alzheimers-starts-with-you/.
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Jennifer, I’m not saying let it go at all. I’m suggesting that to attack this disease we will need a supply of funding that is NOT subject to whim of a re-election cycle. We need dedicated fund raisers organized to combat this illness as a single focus raising monies from multiple Non-governmental sources that we would be answerable to. In short, a board of directors of the Alzheimers association with the explicit goal of doing nothing but raising Capital for nothing but Alzheimer’s disease research. A venture capital firm if you will for just this focus. The return to them would be the potential to keep every member of the board from getting the disease. Sounds like a movie doesn’t it??!! If we leave this to the Government, funding can be cut off at any time and that is NOT acceptable. Does that answer your question Jennifer?? I hate to say this but my Father was right, with age does come a modicum of wisdom and experience is the best teacher. When I was younger I believed we could do it all. We cannot. But in this case, we have to be creative and not rely on help from DC. I’m a member of the Alzeimer’s Association, are you??
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Shawn is still right on this one, folks. First of all, the federal government is $16 trillion in debt. Second, you can’t expect everyone to buy the age old college naivte sold at left wing universities like UVA that the government must provide all solutions, and that in this case it is the government’s job to find a cure to a terrible disease. The idea that we must pass legislation to cure a disease is really off the deep end.
As someone who recently spent the day at NIH getting swabbed and checked out to donate my marrow/stem cells to a tyke who needs my immune system to go into his or her body and whip some leukemia’s ass, I can tell you that there are worse things than dying of Alzheimer’s as an elderly person. This is all very personal to me as I lost a dear friend to leukemia when neither one of us had yet become teenagers yet. Should we take the mountains of money out of leukemia research and throw it at Alzheimer’s research instead? Why? Because your grandfather (or my mother) can’t always make much sense or take care of themselves after living rather fulfilling, long lives? If not from leukemia research, then how about from K-12 education? I know you have been taught to think this way at UVA, but you’ll be in the real wold soon, David. This kind of stuff is not going to fly outside of the Ivy Tower. Again, I’m sorry for everyone’s troubles, but death and suffering is a part of life. Don’t I know it. Nobody, least of all Shawn, suggested that we “leave it be.” Only that we identify stuff that is really making progress in the lab and spend the lion’s share of research money on that. Don’t forget that the lion’s share of this money comes from the private sector – not the government. And government money is almost always politically motivated (embryonic and fetal stem cells).
Although I agree with Shawn on THIS issue, I don’t suggest you get yourself an indoctrination about medical ethics from someone who does not have any. People like Mr. Childress have abandoned Nuremberg, Geneva, and the UDHR and allowed themselves to become cheerleaders for UVA’s enthusiastic in house abortion program in the “Religious Studies” program of all places! (As if a single religion defends infanticide). Here again, UVA is going to be on the losing side, as the tide is turning back towards the prosecutors at Nuremberg and away from the “ethics” of the defendants.
“I will maintain the utmost respect for human life, from the time of its conception; even under threat, I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity; I will practice my profession with conscience and dignity”
Hippocratic Oath
Declaration of Geneva
Following the Nazi Doctor’s Trial at Nuremberg
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Sean,
Thank you for your support. I believe we are likely from the same generation. But please do not lump Dr Childress into a liberal pile. He is the ONLY professor who I had at U Va who could argue coherently from both sides of an argument and I learned a great deal from that. Deontology and Utilitarianism are still the focal points of ALL ethical arguments for me and religion and or politics are but a side bar.
David, We need your passion in Medicine. For the patients, for the research, for the future. If we let the Government relegate and regulate the future we are doomed. Truly doomed.
Jennifer, your passion is unbridled and you stand up to those who challenge you without hesitation or fear. Keep it up,it will hold you well in the real world.
To the collegiates out there, these are a special 4 years, I wish I had them back. You are protected, coddled, safe, and virtually unfettered by the scars of life. That is soon to end. Enjoy the time, relish your friends, learn much, laugh more and have a beer or bourbon on me. When you get out here, the serpentine walls protecting you will be but a memory, albeit a great one, and you will have to stand alone on what you have acquired during your years at The University. I can tell your from experience you will be ready, scared as hell but ready. I cannot encourage you enough to have a passion for something, anything, but be truly passionate about it. Mine is my patients. Sometimes to the detriment of family and friends, but my extended family gets bigger and better every year.
We have beaten this topic like a dead horse and the scars aren’t bleeding anymore. I’d be glad to join you on some new one. Any suggestions??
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Sean – I recently met a man who is 33 years old and has early onset Alzheimer’s. Shame on you for suggesting we don’t give funding to fight a disease that makes him not recognize his children. Or will rob his children of their father.
My mother is 55 years old. She has yet to live this long life you’re suggesting all Alzheimer’s patients have lived. She worked tirelessly for her whole life, only being forced to retire because of her disease. She won’t spend her retirement in Boca driving around in a golf cart until she’s 85 and then forgets where her glasses are. That’s NOT the Alzheimer’s I see with her on a daily basis.
The fact that your marrow could help someone with Leukemia go into remission is the direct result of years of funding from the government (and other places, of course). But, until someone can donate marrow and there will be even a 3% chance it would bring my mom back, I will continue to fight for any funding Alzheimer’s can possibly get. And I will fight against closed minded people like yourself.
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So Jenny, where should we take the money you want for Alzheimers’s – which isn’t really making too many huge strides – from? Leukemia? Breast cancer? Prostate cancer? If you are going to win, who is going to lose. With a $16 trillion debt, the research fund pie is getting smaller, and fast. Whose piece are you for taking/cutting?
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Jenny, I’m not closed mimded at all. I AM a realist however. If we fight to “give funding” to something we must TAKE it from somewhere else. Where do you propose we take it from?? Medicare/caid programs for elderly and poor?? School lunches for children?? Special education for kids?? College loan programs perhaps?? Housing programs for the inner-cities?? More taxes?? More and more taxes?? I’m all ears here!! I laid out my proposal and that is close to what the Alzheimer’s Association is doing.
Shame on me?? Shame on you for insinuating that I have no compassion for these people! I take care of them every damn day. For insinuating that I don’t do anything for them, I belong to the Association, have given talks on the disease given time of my own away from my family, and donated dollars to the cause! What have you done, and I mean done, not said you’d do or just complained about? And when did I suggest these patients live a long life? Have you even read anything of mine that you are commenting on??
I’m sorry that you mother has the disease at an early age. It truly sucks!! But I’m actively doing something about it besides just helping my Mother.
You’re a college student with more tiome on your hands than you know. Wait until you get a job, I work 60-70 hours a week, have a family, 4 kids and 2 dogs, and try to keep all of that afloat while still taking care of a parent. WHen you do, then you can feel “shame on me”.
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Altzheimers is an expensive disease. Investing in a cure will probably save a lot of money in the long run.
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I didn’t expect this to get as many comments as it did, but wow! Obviously it’s a worthwhile issue to discuss, but that’s because it’s a significant disease.
Either way, some of these comments remind me of Washington.
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Shawn, don’t get to mad at the kids. Get mad at their lunatic professors who ram this nonsense into their heads from orientation onwards, and tell them that opposition to anything they say is a sign of ignorance.
“The public treasuries are a bottomless pit of money, you see. It’s all free money anyway. And spending money on problems solves them. Nevermind what history and current events tell us about these things. We are UVA faculty and students. We know better. No need to volunteer. No need to bother with med school. No need to study cause and effect. You wil do as we say (not as we do), or you are a horrible person. Diseases are cured by legislation. It doesn’t matter who we take the money from. We answer to nobody, and feel no compulsion to defend our own opinions. They are correct, because they are ours!”
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Actually, Shaun, I am not a college student. I have also raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Alzheimer’s Association. Yes, that’s right. Hundreds of thousands. And I will continue to fight when I go to Washington this April and speak to the government on behalf of the association. So, I am doing more than my part to fight this disease. So, maybe get your head out of your ass and stop assuming you know everything about everything.
When cancer, which has treatments (no cure, but treatments), gets $6 BILLION+ from the government, and Alzheimer’s, which has NO TREATMENTS, gets $550 Million, I have a lot of ideas where a little more money can come from. I’ll take a Billion of those dollars. Gladly. Again, I remind you that Alzheimer’s is the ONLY cause of death among the top 10 causes of death that cannot be treated, slowed, or cured. But, sure, let’s just sweep it under the rug because it only affects people who have already lead long fulfilling lives…
Your words:
“Because your grandfather (or my mother) can’t always make much sense or take care of themselves after living rather fulfilling, long lives?” Get your head out of your ass, dude…
And Sean, “where should we take the money you want for Alzheimers’s – which isn’t really making too many huge strides – from?” Alzheimer’s isn’t making too huge strides? Should we just forget about it? When I read an article like this: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=alzheimers-disease-sympto&page=2, I think it’s a pretty big stride. But, hey, if if were up to you and Shaun, we could just ignore this advancement because why should our tax dollars go toward “an old person’s” disease.
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Shawn,
With regard to Mr. Childress, he is not centrist on issues of medical ethics. Nor is his university. He testified before Congress in support of fetal and embryonic destructive research, and repeated some of the ridiculous promises that were popular ten years ago that exploited the desperation of the ill and aged to get more research money for what has turned out to be a total failure. He must have lots of pages ripped out of those Holy books in his office in the Religious Studies Department.
Click on my name above, and you will see that UVA has a number of rather glaring medical issues of their own. Not a single person in his department or any other at UVA stood up and said something when two of my colleagues in UVA Medical School got a threatening email from their dean two days after we delivered a year ago. In this university which has transplanted medical science with a political agenda, they were forced to put duct tape over their mouths, put their heads down, and go stand in the corner for daring to point out several areas where UVA is engaging in heinous medical misinformation – and for questioning one of UVA’s most beloved new habits. I removed their names from our document after the Dean invoked her power play on them. I even went as far as telling a state legislator to reverse his plans to come and hold a press conference on the steps of the Med School the following Monday in defense of them. This is how UVA, the Med School, and the hospital work now. Mr. Casteen turned all three of them into political organizations.
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Jenny, Your quote attributed to me is not mine. Go back, reread ALL of my posts and vent your anger appropriately somewhere else. A far as havin “my head up my ass’, (your words, paragraph 3 of your last post), get real. All of your good work raising money for Alzheimer’s, which I applaud heartily, goes right out the friggin’ window and you lose ALL credibility in the real world. You obviously have talent and abilities to raise money for your cause, I only wish you could take a step backward and look at the big picture and what I’ve ACTUALLY said. I only said we don’t need Laws requiring the funding, proposed my solution and agreed that more funding should be directed the way of the disease just not under the guise of “The Law” and you proceed to attempt to assassinate me. Nice person you must be. There are 2 “Shawn’s responding here, one Gaelic, the ohter not, is that too confusing?? And when you arrive in the real world, try to spell the name of your intended target correctly or you just might end up in even hotter water. (The w and the u aren’t even close to each other on the keyboard) Again, thank you for your fundraising.
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Shawn and Sean – my apologies for the confusion in spelling your names. Since I arrived in the real world already and reside here currently, I am a strong enough person to apologize for a mistake. As a human, I make them. I guess you don’t? Lucky you!
But, the sentiment of what I wrote still needs to be said. Shawn asked where the money for Alzheimer’s should come from? I simply suggested that if cancer is getting $600Billion+ from the government and already has treatments that allow people to go into remission, and Alzheimer’s has NOTHING and remains to be the only disease in the 10 Ten causes of death that cannot be treated, slowed, or cured, then if I ran the government, which sadly (and thankfully I do NOT), I would reallocate some of that money toward the disease that has ZERO hope and ruins the lives of many (not just old people, SHAUN).
Clearly, both Sean and Shaun disagree with that. That’s fine. I wish the government didn’t have to give any money to any disease, too. But, the fact remains that they are giving money. Lots of it. And if I don’t do my job as a citizen to question my government, then I really wouldn’t be living in the real world.
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excuse me, I did it again. Shaun – Shawn.
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Oh man, once again, wrong Sean. Sean is the one who said Alzheimer’s affects those whole have lived long fulfilling lives. Again, doesn’t matter, but since there are multiple Sean’s, and I’m quoting, I should be accurate. Apologies.
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Sean,
I cannot say as I am familiar with all of Dr Childress’ political viewpoints. The Constitution says that we are free to express our opinions and support them. Sometimes we are wrong, sometimes we are right, perspective is a wonderful thing. I did learn how to think and formulate an opinion based on intelligent discourse in his classes, and that has held me in good stead through my life. For that I’m very grateful.
As for Liberal Universities, I work now in the Boston area, would you like to talk Liberal!!??
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Jenny,
I couldn’t agree with you more on the discrepant funding, gazillion to one if you do the new math. I agree, there should absolutely be more funding provided for Alzheimer’s. That said especially in light of “alternative Medicines” getting more than Alzheimer”s (your data). It is a horrble illness compunded by”real medical illnesses” every step of the way. I’m lining it right now.
As for treatment, some therapies would need testing during treatment that might include brain biopsies. Would patients or their families be willing to go along with that? There are so many questions that need to be answered before we get any momentum going towards curing this disease it is frightening. In no way do I mean to say “give up then”. We all must realize that until recently young people weren’t much effected and politicians weren’t living long enough to get this disease. Seems like with the advent of Reagan and his illness more has been said about it but not nearly enough. As a small immediate funding source I’d say take all the funding from alternatives which is really aimed at Insurance companies NOT having to pay for any of them and right a Law that would require that they (insurance companies) do need to pay for alternative care. Then take all that research money and direct it towards Alzheimer’s. It’s still not enough, but it’s a start.
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I am happy to see so much discussion about the disease, and am particularly pleased how the conversation’s tone has become more constructive. I want to make it clear that by no means do I feel that the government should be the sole force in the fight to end Alzheimer’s. It should serve as a start, particularly as underfunded as it is now compared to other diseases. I thank Jenny for showing how federal funding for Alzheimer’s compares to other health problems in the U.S. I also think that Shawn’s suggestion concerning alternative medicine is a very valid one.
As a side note, Shawn, I graduated last year and I was fortunate to take one of Dr. Childress’s classes. It was one of my favorite courses at UVA.
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Thank you David. He was my advoisor and wrote my letter of recommendation to Med school. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross tought our section for 2 weeks. A real experience.
I wish you the best with this, if it’s successful, we all win or like on “The Office” Win-Win-Win!
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