Sep
9
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.