FROM THE ROOFTOPS (and TV antennas!)

It’s kind of amazing, the generosity to be found in Palm Beach County. Today, Anita Mitchell, host of of WHDT TV’s “Conversations with Anita” interviewed me about The Unforgettable Fund and our effort to fund Alzheimer’s research. For half an hour, we discussed my family’s experience, our eleven years of trying to cope with such a devastating disease, and even had the opportunity to show the 5-minute video of my father’s life, narrated by my mother.

It didn’t end there. The owner of WHDT then gave Anita an additional hour - a full hour! - to interview Dr. Malcolm Leissring and Dr. Claes Wahlestedt, the Alzheimer’s researchers at Scripps Florida. So for a full 90 minutes, the topic was Alzheimer’s. The science and funding issues were covered by our two scientists and the message was delivered - without help from the good people of our community the science is not going to move quickly enough to come up with the answers we’re going to need for effective therapies and treatment in our lifetime. If we want it, we need to propel it. And after what my family went through, and to what so many of you can attest, enough of this disease already! This is a serious topic, hard to put enough emphasis on the need for solutions, and the fact we have a definite clock ticking.

With the help of the media, the message will be heard. Thank you to WHDT - Channel 17, to Anita Mitchell for hosting this show and to all of you who saw it and responded. I’ll try to put clips up next week.

We can DO this, right? We have to do this. Right!