Did you know that November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness month?

On November 20th, I had the privilege of attending the Houston AWARE 9th Annual Family Portrait Luncheon at the River Oaks Country Club.  The luncheon was sponsored by the Houston & Southeast Texas Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.  The guest speaker was world-famous advice columnist  Dear Abby who shared how her mother's diagnosis of Alzheimer's deeply impacted her family.

Dear Abby concluded by answering a series of questions posed by attendees, demonstrating her legendary humor and razor-sharp wit.  When asked what is the question most frequently posed to her, she responded without hesitation, "How can I make him love me?"

In response to another question, Dear Abby explained the difference between Alzheimer's and a bad memory by referring to an explanation given by one of her mother's doctors.  Essentially if you've lost your car keys and can't remember where you left them, that is a bad memory.  If you've forgotten that you own a car, that may be something more serious.

Dear Abby was gracious and absolutely delightful, and I thoroughly enjoyed not only hearing her speak, but also having a chance to meet her and visit with her for a few minutes.  Most importantly, I left the luncheon with a renewed awareness of how Alzheimer's Disease is affecting so many people and how important it is to support research for treatment and a cure.