I know I’m late to the party on International Women’s Day, but March is still Women’s History Month!! Probably no surprise to many of you, I’m going to give a shout out to those women whose missions are all about bringing awareness to the disease of Alzheimer’s and helping those in the trenches with it.
I actually didn’t know that Rita Hayworth was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in the 1980’s. Her prognosis, made public, was one of the first to touch people. Her daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, became a well known advocate for Alzheimer's research after Hayworth's death. Khan serves on the board of directors, as vice chairman, of Alzheimer's and Related Disorders Association. She is also the president of Alzheimer's Disease International, and a National Council Member of the Salk Institute. There is a very moving interview with her describing how her mother fell in love with painting as her disease progressed in the 2009 documentary I Remember Better When I Paint.
I tend to find women like Dr. Lisa Genova intimidating given the breadth of their talents. In this case she’s a neuroscientist, an author and photogenic! But who can feel anything other than admiration for an ambitious woman who brought the challenges of facing Alzheimer’s to the public in her novel Still Alice? Especially after it became a must see movie starring Julianne Moore. One of the first pop culture attempts at bringing awareness to the disease, inviting people to talk about it. Yes…and!
We can’t talk about the strides made in Alzheimer’s awareness and brain health without recognizing Maria Shriver and Lauren Miller Rogan. Each of them responded to their mothers’ battles with dementia by using their talent and access to have real impact. Maria is the founder of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement and Lauren co-founded Hilarity for Charity with her husband Seth. Both of these powerhouse advocates have expanded their mission from awareness and caregiving support to include prevention and brain health.
Join me in raising a glass to these dedicated women who use their personal passion to give us hope facing this disease.
