Blogathon 2007

Hi all! I'm Denise, and I will be using this blog to blog for charity in Blogathon 2007. From Saturday, July 28th, 9 AM (Eastern Daylight Savings Time) until July 29th, 9 AM, I will update this blog every half hour, for the benefit of Alzheimer's Association, which funds Alzheimer's research and supports community programs for those with Alzheimer's. Please sponsor me, if you can. Read this to find out how it works. You can give a flat donation, or else pledge for how long I manage to stay awake. You don't need to give a lot. Any little bit helps!

I intend to spend much of the 24 hour period drawing, and I will post scans of my progress for each update. I got the idea from Nasubionna, who did that for Blogathon 2005, and it was really cool to watch (she will be participating in Blogathon again this year, for Pasado's Safe Haven, an animal rescue). I'm not as good of an artist as Nasubionna, but I think it should still be entertaining to see my drawing progress, particularly as it gets later and I start going pineapples for lack of sleep. If you sponsor me, you can suggest something for me to draw for you during the 24 hour period. I cannot guarantee that I will feel inspired to draw it, so I might not use your particular suggestion, but I will certainly try to. Thank you!

If you can't donate, you can still support me by watching this blog and commenting for as much time as you can, even if you can only check in once. I'd especially appreciate constructive criticism on my art, and encouragement to stay awake!

Alzheimer's disease is a horrible and scary disease. My grandmother, who lives with us, is afflicted by it. It is a very sad thing. My grandma used to be very clever, always fun to talk to, quick at telling jokes, interested in many activities, and active in her community. Now, she is easily confused, doesn't talk very much, and cannot do many things. She is unable to walk very far, because apparently she forgets how to keep her balance. Sometimes she slurs her words, because she forgets how to talk properly. She used to ask us what day it was literally every five minutes, until we set up a white board for her that we update with the date each morning, so she can look at it whenever she wants. It was not that she needed the date, but that she knew she should have been able to remember it, and couldn't, and would get frustrated. She spends a lot of time just staring vacantly out into space, or falling asleep in her chair. Sometimes she reads, or does word searches. She tells me that she works hard to try to remember things from her past, but when she tells me things she remembers, I know they are incorrect. We eat dinner as a family and talk, but she does not participate in the conversation anymore. She will watch TV with us after dinner, but I think she forgets what she has just seen by the time there is a commercial, if she even remembers for that long. When she goes to the bathroom, she throws the toilet paper into the garbage can instead of the toilet. She saves her fingernail clippings. Sometimes, she will get nasty and stick out her tongue at us, for no real reason. She once wandered over to our next-door neighbors' house and told them that we were so mean to her because we never let her go to church, but we take her to church with us each and every week. She still remembers who I am, but I am afraid that sooner or later, she will forget me. I do not know how I will be able to handle that when it happens.

I am blogging to support Alzheimer research, because I think it is probably one of worst diseases to die from. I would rather die weak, in pain, exhausted, and sick, than continue living, in otherwise perfect physical condition, without memories of my past, recognition of the people I love, my personality, or my ability to learn. This is a way for me to help find a cure. I hope that this disease can be defeated, so that other people I love, and I, will never have to suffer from it again.