Ruby Dailey, Campus Carrier photographer

When I was a child, the thought of someone I loved forgetting who I was terrified me. I was always taught by my grandma that if you keep a relationship with people and make a real impact on their life, they will never forget you.  The unfortunate reality is that we live in a world where my fear is not unfounded. 

Unfortunately, my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease affects millions of people across the U.S. and millions more across the world. Yet, we have no solution. There is no cure. There are ways to “cope,” with therapy for families and homes to put individuals effected in so that they do not harm themselves or others. What would really be beneficial to patients and their families, however, is an actual cure. 

There is not nearly enough research being done on Alzheimer’s disease. Some people do not know the true extent of the disease and tend to confuse it with its main symptom: dementia. Symptoms of the disease do not just include memory loss; they can also include appetite changes, decline in motor skills and personality changes. While research is expensive, we cannot do anything about this disease without it. The question now remains: does the government not have the money to help with this research?

When the Trump Administration paused NIH funding in 2025, Columbia University’s ADRC program had to stop their research. The government also paused funding from University of California Davis’s program and 12 other ADRC programs across the U.S. The cuts made by the government have smashed the hopes of patients and families whose only chance of hope was in these programs. There will be no progress in finding a cure without research. Without a cure or just more knowledge about the disease, we are stuck with a tragedy of millions of families experiencing one of the most debilitating illnesses you can imagine. It is a hell that must be experienced to truly understand what it does to people. That is why we deserve extensive research, to help the people going through this disease.

So, I urge you to educate yourself on Alzheimer’s, and if someone you know has the disease, use the resources we do have to help others the best that you can. I know that my grandmother will not see the cure for this disease, but I hope that one day, I will.