Reason to Hope donor profile – Alzheimer’s Association
“Three years ago, my friend and neighbor who was very involved with the Alzheimer’s Association invited me to a Reason to Hope luncheon. I found the event very emotional and cathartic, and now I have been a table host myself for past two years. Inviting family, friends, neighbors and even acquaintances to sit at my table has been a good way for me to reveal what my mother and our family are going through.”
Q1: What led to your involvement with the Alzheimer’s Association and the Reason to Hope event?
My mother, Penny Besecke, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease four years ago, and I have helped support and care for her at home and in the memory care facility where she now lives. Although we suspected memory issues for some time, my mother’s official diagnosis hit me and my family very hard. For a while she did not want anyone to talk about her prognosis or let anyone else know, so we all kept it within the family. As the disease began to progress and she was in need of more help and resources, I began to talk about the disease more openly and attend caregiver workshops and research symposia. Three years ago, my friend and neighbor who was very involved with the Alzheimer’s Association invited me to a Reason to Hope luncheon. I found the event very emotional and cathartic, and now I have been a table host myself for past two years. Inviting family, friends, neighbors and even acquaintances to sit at my table has been a good way for me to reveal more about what my mother and our family are going through as we travel together on this devastating path. It has also been a more comfortable way to help others learn about the impact of Alzheimer’s disease, and an easier way for me to ask for financial and emotional support since I really dislike asking for money. A wonderful meal is served and the program is always well-organized and concise, but it also contains a really powerful call to action. I am grateful to those who have attended, and I believe that they are glad to know of a way to help when where they otherwise might feel powerless.
Q2: Why Reason to Hope?
We’ve participated in the Rita Hayworth Gala, the Walk to End Alzheimer’s and have organized fundraisers for the Alzheimer’s Association at my children’s high school, Hinsdale Central. They all play an important role in raising awareness, support and money for this disease. The Reason to Hope event is another way to use networking to raise money and focus attention on the Alzheimer’s disease crisis; both for individual families and for the United States health care system. The event is both social and sobering, and it’s a nice way to ask for financial support for those of us who hate to ask for money in more direct ways.
Q3: Why are donations for Reason to Hope so important?
Donations are absolutely critical because there is so much work to be done to find effective ways to halt the progression of Alzheimer’s. We have to find reliable ways to prevent the disease, and also care for and support those in the different stages and their caregivers. As a trained neuroscientist, I know first-hand how time-consuming and expensive basic and clinic research is, and how many approaches to a problem are required to get real solutions from the bench to the clinic. Grants must be funneled to scientists and clinicians immersed in these fields so that progress can be made. In addition, the role at the Alzheimer’s Association plays in educating, advocating and supporting those affected is unmatched by any other organization. This is a very messy, relentless and exhausting disease that affects whole families who need all the help and support they can get. Nothing can prepare one for watching a loved one be slowing robbed of their personality, sense of humor, emotional life, speech and control over their body and mind. The Association acts as a clearinghouse for social supports, counseling and medical referrals, and they need resources to be able to provide this help to patients and families.
Q4: Why should others become involved in Reason to Hope?
I think others should become involved because it is a concrete way to make a difference in our fight against Alzheimer’s disease. By hosting a table or attending the event, people can multiply their supportive efforts and make a huge. It is another way to educate your social or business network on the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and raise much-needed funds for research and support for the association. Those you invite get to enjoy a lovely meal in a gorgeous setting and have the chance to support the fight against a very cruel and unforgiving disease.
