Dear Friend,

I am fighting a battle I know I can’t win, but I’m determined to go down fighting.

My name is Steve and I was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease when I was 62. You get a diagnoses like this and it’s easy to surrender, but I vowed that I was not going to give in. I was going to keep fighting and fighting.

I do have a hard time now remembering names or where I put things, but with my wife Marybeth’s support – she’s a good caregiver – I focus on what I can do – not what I can’t.

I joined an Alzheimer’s New Jersey support group along with Marybeth. The support group showed me how to cope. I also entered a clinical drug trial. In addition, I’m a Walk to Fight Alzheimer’s® planning committee member. I help Alzheimer’s New Jersey raise funds for their local programs and services that assist thousands of New Jersey families – just like mine – that are impacted by Alzheimer’s disease.

This is a difficult and very lonely disease. Sometimes you feel you are in a world that is just you – trying to make sense of all the things your brain is telling you. But, with the support of Alzheimer’s New Jersey, I don’t always feel that aloneness. You feel like you’re connected to people who care and can really help.

That is why I am asking you to join my fight by making an impact with your gift to Alzheimer’s New Jersey. You can be assured that through Alzheimer’s New Jersey, 100% of your contribution will support New Jersey families like mine that face the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease.

I wish you and your family a Happy New Year.

Stephen Donnelly

P.S. I may not win this battle, but I hope you will join me on the battlefield by giving as generously as you can. Thank you for your consideration.