The Alzheimer’s Association presented Nina Garcia, Elle’s Editor in Chief with the Champion Award at the Rita Hayworth Gala where she talked about the difficulties of having a family member with this terrible disease. Her mother battled Alzheimer’s for about 8 years before passing away in 2004.
“I don’t think we ever imagined that it would happen to us,” says Garcia in a video posted by the Alzheimer’s Association.
“She never let the overwhelming difficulties in her life get in the way of her passions or doing the right thing and supporting those whom she loved,” Garcia said about her mother. “It wasn’t until she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s that I really understood the gravity of that responsibility. Her disease put everything into context.”
Garcia says that her mother loved magazines, so she inherited that passion from her. “She loved taking care of herself, she loved getting dressed up, she had this incredible confidence.”
“When my mother was diagnosed we felt very isolated, we felt frustrated because there was a lot of questions on how to deal with the disease,” she says. Unfortunately, people don’t share how they’ve dealt with the disease and by sharing her story, it’s opening a door and getting the message out that you are not alone.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, it’s the 6th leading cause of death in the United States and there more than 5 million people living with Alzheimer’s affecting over 15 million caregivers that have to care for their loved ones. By 2050 this number could rise as high as 16 million.
“My first advice to other families that are dealing with this disease is to reach out to the Alzheimer’s Association,” she says. “They are an incredible source of information and of support, they are supporting the caregivers and their families that are dealing with the disease but at the same time they are pushing forward with the research that’s so important at the moment.”