Kate Dyer-Seeley  

A little over a year ago Dr. Mario Carrillo, Director of Medical and Scientific Relations for the Alzheimer’s Association, traveled to Portland to give our staff, board members, and donors an update on where we stand in Alzheimer’s research.  I blogged about it at the time because she’s an incredible speaker, completely adept at translating complicated scientific principals into concepts that are easy to understand.  One of the drugs on her radar at the time was Dimebon, a Russian anti-histamine that seemed to improve the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.  The drug was fast tracked through clinical trials here in the U.S. and news over the last week is buzzing.  Pfizer is preparing to release new studies on the Dimebon’s performance in early March and a number of financial institutions and media sites are speculating on the potential.  Click here to read yesterday’s article on Bloomberg.com.  The jury’s still out on how the drug will hold up in larger and more rigorous trails here in the United States, but needless to say I’ll be eagerly awaiting the results–stay tuned!

Luke couldn’t love school or Maestra Bainter more.  Spending five minutes in his classroom is jaw-dropping.  The entire class is rattling off Spanish phrases, rolling they’re “R’s” and laughing in delight when the wrong transition song is accidentally played (in Spanish of course).  This is the way we should all learn language.  It’s natural, innate.  Even with the announcement that came this week that no more English was to be spoken in the class, Luke shrugged, “No problem,” he said.  Although, he did want me to confirm that he could still converse in good old American slang on the playground. 

Our inaugural experience with the Vancouver Public School system has been seamless.  While the language immersion may be unique to us, all of our friends and family report similar good will toward their home schools.  It’s things like class size, quality of instruction and setting up the schools as a hub for the community.   My friends across the river in P-town on the other hand are opting for charter and private schools because they can’t stomach the thought of a kindergartner in class of 30+ students. 

When my ballot for the replacement levy arrived in the mail this afternoon I ripped it open and voted “yes” right away.  And here’s my political plea to my fellow ‘Couvers.  We have an amazing resource in our public schools here–let’s be sure to preserve it!  (If you need more information about the levy click here or feel free to send me a message.)

(This picture is an oldie but goodie)While November is officially National Family Caregivers Month, the first few weeks of January have seen a surge in caregiver stories in the national media.  This incredible feature in the New York Times is a must read, especially coupled with news that came out late last week highlighting the fact that husbands caring for ailing wives are at great risk for strokes. 

The Alzheimer’s Association has seen a 25% increase in calls to the 24/7 Helpline (800-272-3900) from December 2009 through January 2010.  At our office in Portland, there’s been a steady stream of family caregivers coming in the doors for support groups, classes, care consultations and to browse our lending library.  It’s wonderful to witness people connecting with our programs and services but overwhelming to see how great the need is.

Watching the weathered, anxious faces of caregivers also takes me back to the days of trying to juggle a newborn and help out in caring for my mom.  I’m sure the sleep deprivation didn’t help, but there were days that it took every ounce of energy I had to hold it together.  And, I was NOT her primary caregiver.  That duty went to my father who was working full time in order to cover the cost of medical care.  In hindsight, I wish we would have tapped into more services but at the time (like most caregivers) we were just trying to get by.  So, to any blog readers out there who are also caregivers please visit www.alz.org, call the Helpline and take care of you too!

One of the ongoing discussions we have at the office is how do we change public opinion about Alzheimer’s disease?  It’s a huge challenge, especially given the plethora of misinformation and stereotypes that circulate within the general population and sometimes even the medical community about the disease.  Compound that with the debilitating nature of the disease and the fact that families living with Alzheimer’s are under tremendous amounts of stress.  From my marketing slant, I know that showcasing the impact Alzheimer’s has on families and its devastating effects is what will eventually change public opinion.  One of our 2010 marketing goals is to help give voice to those living with Alzheimer’s.  We want people in the early stages sharing their story.  This is  never a hard sell internally.  Getting the media to bite on the other hand is another issue.

Yesterday was a banner day and started with this feature on the front page of the Oregonian, touting the benefits of exercise as a preventative measure in the fight against Alzheimer’s.  Then our local CBS affiliate featured a story on participants of our early stage program which tied in to Katie Couric’s feature Where American Stands on Alzheimer’s Disease.  Finally, as I tuned in to American Idol (I know it’s a guilty pleasure) they covered a touching story about Katie Steven’s, a young Idol-hopeful whose grandmother has Alzheimer’s.  The interaction between Katie and her grandmother were lovely and even Ryan Seacrest teared up when Katie called her grandmother to let her know she was headed to California.  MTV is calling her one to watch.  Not to worry, I’m already on it and I’ll be watching for more Alzheimer’s coverage this year–helping to change public opinion one story at a time.

There’s an old song my mom used to sing to us as our Bluebird troop leader.  It went something like, “Make new friends, but keep the old.  Some are silver and the other gold.”  Little did I know it as a ponytail-clad first grader, but that simple song with its easy rhythm is a proverb of sorts that I still adhere to today.  

Throughout the years my friendships have evolved and grown, often mirroring where I’m at, at a particular moment in time.  Co-workers became friends when I was fresh out of college and always up for a night out on the town.  The past few years I’ve gravitated to friends with young children who I’ve met at the park or play-dates.  These silver friends are new and shiny like a dime fresh off the minting press.  They represent today.  Some morph into long term gold friends and other drop off as paths shift in new directions.

But, then there are the gold friends–friends who’ve known me young.  Friends like the ones we traveled with this holiday season who camped out in the snow for two days to score Rose Bowl tickets the last time we went (this time they were purchased online thank with a quick flash of a credit card thank you very much).  My gold friends and I have seen each other through breakups, deaths, and staggering joy.  They’ve become family over the years, the kind of friends I knew I can call at 2am and travel the world with.  While my gold friends may be smaller in number, our friendship has aged and remained steadfast with the passing of time. 

So, with the dawning of a new decade thank you to my silver and gold friends, and here’s to those of friends yet to be.

Technology love it or hate it, this one just might buy us another few years of believing…a direct message from Santa with an insider’s view of the North Pole.  Need I say more?  Happy Holidays 2009 style!  Portable North Pole (PNP). 

If you follow me on social media pages I apologize for the repeat post, but I think this story is too fascinating not to share widely.  Last week researchers at OHSU announced they’d completed the first map of  brain cell glutamate receptor structure.  I know this sounds less than enticing as a Monday morning read, but it really is groundbreaking news.  You can read the full feature here. 

The condensed version is that while it’s  know throughout the scientific community that glutamate plays a role in diseases like Alzheimer’s, no one previously understood the complexity of its structure.  Mapping the structure is step one in gaining a better understanding of Alzheimer’s and potentially creating new therapies.  This is also an example of the kind of research that NIH funding allows scientists to perform and why it’s so imperative that we support encourage our Congressional leaders to back the Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act.  While there’s still a long way to go in understanding Alzheimer’s, it’s exciting to see innovative research like this happening right here.

We have a longstanding tradition in our house that we only read holiday books during each holiday’s official season.  Halloween books are cracked open in October.  November brings an assortment of Thanksgiving titles like Luke’s favorite A Plump and Perky Turkey or Ten Fat Turkeys.   For me, nothing can replace Over the River and Through the Woods–a song and a book.  What could be better? There’s one common theme our Thanksgiving titles share:  cold weather.  Illustrations of snow drifts, woolen mittens and steaming cocoa brush the pages of our November collection.  That’s why when we stepped off the plane last week to seventy degrees and sunshine something didn’t feel quite right.

Coffee shops signage touted “Peppermint mochas now in season.”  Really?  Under a backdrop of swaying palms, perpetual sunshine and Luke bowling oranges in my brother’s backyard it felt more like iced latte season to me.  I suppose it’s all a matter of perspective.  As we lounged on the beach clad in shorts and flip flops, natives walked past bundled from head to toe in scarves and stocking caps.  That’s the joy of travel for me feeling transported, even when in this case we were a mere two states away from home. 

So this Thanksgiving we embraced the warmth of the sun, the smell of turkey on the grill, and the delightful taste of peppermint mochas under palm trees.  Regardless of location or the temperature outside, the best part of traveling south was spending the holiday with family.

The No Christmas before Thanksgiving debate is already raging in our house.  And alas, it looks like I’m losing.  The boys have loaded the CD player, our iPods and any other music playing device with Christmas carols.  They’ve decked Gordy’s office with a miniature tree and twinkle lights.  I continually find an assortment of holiday catalogs conveniently placed next to my bedside table.  Rest assured I’m not giving in on this one.  Let the retail chains and coffee shops flash their fancy garlands and red paper cups.  I’m sticking with my cornucopia and pilgrim placemats.

The one exception to my No Christmas before Thanksgiving rule that I’m willing to bend on is my Christmas list.  Now wait.  Don’t worry I’m not selling out here.  It’s more that I need to buy a little extra time to decide exactly what I want beneath the tree. 

It goes without saying that I consume a fair number of books.  Living in the Portland area doesn’t help since Powell’s nearly in my backyard.  Not to mention the slew of other indie bookstores and big box shops for those times I’ve gotta get a fix on cheap mystery before the weekend.  That’s not to say I don’t purchase books online every now and then, but I much prefer the experience of a brick and mortar store.  I like to browse shelves and linger over a coffee.  I like the low background music and lofty energy found in bookstores.  That’s why the Kindle hasn’t appealed to me. 

But now, Barnes and Noble is launching the Nook which might tempt me into diving into the world of e-books.  The Nook allows users to lend e-books to friends, offers endless shelf space and cute covers.  Oh no!  It’s easy to envision myself lounging on a plush chair at my local B & N with my Nook in hand, or downloading a title while holding a hard copy in my hand.

Weigh in here fellow readers…To “e” or not to “e” that’s the holiday question for me this season.  And, Thanksgiving is still a holiday too thank you very much.

There are many things I love about Luke’s budding Spanish.  I particularly enjoy listening to him babble in a string of Spanish syllables in the tub each night.  He won’t perform on command, and who can blame him?  But, when he thinks we’re not listening his little “r’s” really roll.  More than anything I appreciate that his world-view is already expanding.  Case in point his class celebrated Dia de los Muertos on Monday.  They decorated sugar skulls with an assortment of feathers, beads, and markers.  About 15 minutes into the project one of his classmates exclaimed, “This is sugar!” Suddenly the entire class of kindergartners began taste-testing their creations.  Glue and Crayola marker laced sugar, YUM.

After the loss of my mother I’m always looking for new ways to incorporate her legacy into our life.  I find sometimes that anniversaries like her birthday or Mother’s Day are bittersweet.  On those holidays we’ve created new traditions of honoring her memory, but the sadness remains.  The Day of the Dead celebration was easy for me to embrace.  It’s simply a day to recognize and pay homage to our ancestors.  There’s nothing else attached to the day for me, so it was an opportunity to really play up the idea of celebrating my mom’s life.  We flipped through photos of her and stopped off for her favorite dark chocolates after school.  Luke seemed to easily embrace the day as well, although I’m sure all that extra sugar didn’t hurt.