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Cast Your Vote!! (Neuro Film Fest)

by Emily in Film, Neuro Film Festival

We submitted a video titled “The Music in Hugh: A Look at Young Onset Dementia” to the Neuro Film Festival. There’s a contest for audience favorite, and we’d love your vote! Please see below for details.

Voting Has Begun! Cast Your Vote for Fan Favorite

The entries for the 2010 Neuro Film Festival are in and public voting for “Fan Favorite” begins February 17, 2010. The Neuro Film Festival is a contest by the American Academy of Neurology Foundation to help raise awareness through video about brain disorders and the need to support research into preventions, treatments and cures. The entries highlight compelling videos from patients and their families and caregivers about living with a neurologic condition. Voting closes on March 17, 2010.

Voting is easy:

• Step 1: Visit youtube.com/neurofilmfest and log in using your YouTube username and password to view entries. If you don’t have an account yet, sign up now, it’s quick and easy! Gmail users can sign in using their Google username and password as well.
• Step 2: Once logged in, rate each video in the playlist using the star system in the lower left corner, near the play button. Comments have been turned off to allow each video to stand alone and ensure fairness in judging.

The winner of the Fan Favorite award will receive a $500 prize. Two other winners will also be awarded for their filmmaking skills and creativity, as decided by the festival’s jury. A selection of the top videos will be screened at the Neuro Film Festival in Toronto during Stop Brain Disorders Week beginning Sunday, April 11, 2010, in conjunction with the Academy’s 62nd Annual Meeting, the world’s largest meeting of neurologists.

The Sparks family

by Emily in COYOD, Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)

We once again have been graced by an active Alzheimer’s Association here in the greater DC area. Max and I went to the National Capitol Area Chapter last Thursday to meet with Tammy Reardon, who immediately began scheduling us interviews during our stay. We also learned that we were in town for the welcome home party for Kendal Sparks from The Unforgettable Journey, a project that involved a cross-country bicycle tour to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association. I heard about Kendal from Keri Pollock with the Western Washington Alz. Assoc. chapter just as we arrived into Portland during Leg 1. I talked to Kendal on the phone back in May, and we were hoping our trips would overlap. Turns out our timing was right and we went to his party and met his wonderful family and friends. Kendal, along with his cousin Amelia who joined him for part of the tour, told many stories of meeting friendly people along the way and what life was like on the road. There were many parallels between their experience and ours, especially how refreshing it is to be greeted by Americans in all parts of the country who are genuinely willing to help. Kendal also has an American flag on the back of his bike like Max, and we both felt that through our experiences we felt a strange sense of patriotism that we never had before touring. So often you hear and read about the terrible things that happen between people, and the acts of kindness rarely make the headlines. It was a real treat having the opportunity to relate to so many things with Kendal and celebrating his completion of an “Unforgettable Journey”.

Max, Kendal, Me and Amelia

The two influences for Kendal’s trip were his grandmother who died from Alzheimer’s and his uncle in Alabama who is living with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). Kendal’s cousin and cousin-in-law flew in from Alabama for his party, so we got to meet these “COYOD” briefly. They told us they saw our video on The Wedekings, and that it was a very difficult to watch considering their dad is still in the earlier stages of FTD- whereas Vaughn Wedeking was much further along. However, they also said that as hard as it was to see the progression of FTD in Vaughn, it began conversation around planning within the family. As Max and I listened to their situation, we were amazed that a family in Alabama was using our video in some capacity to learn more about their own father. But it was tough to stand there and know that the video also created negative emotions because of course it’s not easy to watch later stages of a disease when you’re not yet there with your own parent. We just hope the videos, and the videos that we will make post-tour, will encourage action and bring understanding. All-in-all it was an incredible evening and we were thankful we were in town for it.

Pitstop in Seattle for July

by Emily in

We planned the bike tour to be home for July due to some important happenings. Two of the three major ones just went down July 11:

Megan and Chris’s wedding in Doe Bay, San Juans

This is Megan Hirsh and Chris Henderson- two very important people in our lives. Megan is Max’s cousin- but more like his sister, and she’s the Mind Series’ Treasurer and VP. Chris is also a Mind Series key player, and we lived with these two for a few months before leaving for the first leg in May. We got to witness pieces of their planning come together beautifully.  There was an announcement at the beginning of the ceremony that honored all of the people who were not able to join, which included Hugh (Max’s dad). Traveling up to this rustic spot was not an option for Hugh, and again we are so lucky that he is living at Gaffney House.

And…

Tucker Dane Boardway was born!!

This is my brother Rob with his second nugget. Looks like he’s got boxing fists, watch out!

San Francisco COYOD

by Maxim in COYOD, San Francisco

Yesterday the 23rd we met with four COYOD at a pub called the Little Shamrock in the Sunset District. The group was wonderful. We told them briefly of our project and it naturally flowed into a conversation about life with parents affected by Young Onset Dementia. We shared tough struggles as well as comedic anecdotes. All four women has a mother with Young Onset Dementia. So needless to say my father and I were the odd ducks. We exchanged info and planned to film their stories later in the week. It was a huge success!