Fathers Day Weekend

My weekend started with dinner with two of my good friends and out to a bar afterwards. We had a great time, and it was much appreciated after the news I had received just a day earlier (see previous post).

The next morning I was able to go volunteer at a Health and Wellness Expo put on by the Alzheimer's Association of Orange County (AAOC). My great-grandmother (or Mama Mannino as we used to call her) had Alzheimer's and passed away when I was about 8 or 9. Her disease always confused me because I would often wonder why she acted so differently than the other adults in our family. She would not know where we were sometimes and would ask questions that made me think she was very child-like. As I got older, I came to understand that Alzheimer's disease is a form of dementia that is in-curable and there are no known causes. About a year ago, I decided to get more involved with the AAOC to learn about this disease. I have learned many things in my training sessions at the organization's headquarters, but mainly that treatment at the first signs of the disease often prove most effective and delay many of the its symptoms. The AAOC puts on many events to inform senior citizens and baby boomers of the importance of regualr health screenings to prevent the disease from advancing into later stages without treatment.

I participated in the Alzheimer's Memory Walk awhile back, which was such a rewarding experience. The Wellness Expo this weekend was a great event as well. It was held at Laguna Hills Mall and was an informational event to help senior citizens and their caregivers plan for the future. My responsibility was to go around the mall and pass out flyers to get people to come to the event. It wasnt exactly glamorous work, but I did see people turn up at the event that I had recruited in the mall :) Once we got people to the event, I was in charge of getting signatures and address cards filled out to send to our California representatives in Washington DC. The petition was to get $125 million of funding for Alzheimers research. There have been recent budget cuts that have eliminated many senior day care centers. Without these centers, Alzheimers patients will not get the treatment they require and according to professionals at the Expo, could end up costing the government 5 times more than it would have cost had the senior centers remained open. I feel this is an important issue because our budget deficits are at an all time high and we have many baby boomers retiring. They will soon need access to these senior centers, but we are not providing them with proper treatment. I hope the government will fund future research for this terrible disease and we can find a CURE!

The next day was Fathers Day and I went to the Angel vs. Dodgers game with my dad and brother. Although our Angels lost, we had a good time and I'm glad I got to spend time with my family. Here are some pictures from the game and of a recent hike I went on in Newport Coast.