Anna Cianciolo’s Meatballs for Memory Longest Day
The Longest Day is a team event to raise funds and awareness for the Alzheimer’s Association. Held annually on the summer solstice, the duration of this sunrise-to-sunset event symbolizes the challenging journey of those living with the disease and their caregivers. In this article, we feature one of our Longest Day participants, Anna Cianciolo.
The Longest Day is a team event to raise funds and awareness for the Alzheimer’s Association. Held annually on the summer solstice, the duration of this sunrise-to-sunset event symbolizes the challenging journey of those living with the disease and their caregivers. Teams are encouraged to create their own experience as they fundraise and participate in an activity they love to honor someone facing the disease. In this article, we feature one of our Longest Day participants, Anna Cianciolo.
My name is Anna Cianciolo, I’m 42 years old and an associate professor of medical education at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, IL. I grew up in Bloomfield Hills, MI, with three brothers and a large extended family. When I am not working, I enjoy Crossfit, cooking, reading, traveling, hiking, and puttering in my yard. I share a household with my boyfriend, Tom, his 12-year-old son, Gryphon, and my orange tabby cat, Jonesy.
How did you come to be involved with the The Longest Day?
My dad, Tom, has Alzheimer’s disease. He started showing mild cognitive impairment in his mid-60’s. His two older siblings died from Alzheimer’s, and his younger sister is now showing signs of cognitive decline too. My dad has two copies of the ApoE-4 allele, so my siblings and I know we are genetically at risk for Alzheimer’s. I signed up for informational newsletters from the Alzheimer’s Association in order to learn more about my dad’s condition. I wanted to know what was in store for him and for my family as the disease progressed. I learned about the Longest Day event from those newsletters. I learned about the Alzheimer’s Association from attending a Memory Loss conference at my medical school, hosted by our Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders, whose existence is currently threatened by lack of state funding.
What activities will you do for the The Longest Day?
This year’s Longest Day event is my first. I will be hosting a pop-up Italian restaurant, Mama Anna’s Italian Kitchen. The event is called Meatballs for Memory. I will be serving all-you-can-eat spaghetti and meatballs out of my home on Saturday, June 18. So far, I have raised over $800, about halfway to my goal of $1600.
Why is The Longest day important to you?
I think the biggest barrier to beating Alzheimer’s is the fact that it has received little serious attention until recently. I believe that raising awareness about this disease and funding associated research are critical first steps to reducing the staggering toll Alzheimer’s takes on people’s lives. Personally, the Alzheimer’s Association has been an incredibly valuable resource for being an informed citizen as well as a sensitive caregiver and family member. I want to give back to an organization that has made my life better and to help it make a difference in other people’s lives as well.
Why should others participate in The Longest Day?
Alzheimer’s really is a societal problem. Regardless of whether a person can immediately name someone they know with Alzheimer’s; the fact is their life will be affected by the disease. This is especially true as the US population ages. Participating in the Longest Day and supporting the Alzheimer’s Association is something we all can do to invest in our future.