I played flag football as a kid; now I play to fight Alzheimer’s
I grew up playing flag football with my dad and most of the 12 boys on my street. We also played hockey, baseball and soccer. We played for fun, to get our exercise and to avoid homework – which didn’t usually work! We played after school and on the weekends all the way up to dinner. We played in the sweltering heat of the summer and freezing rainy days of the winter.
I still play soccer, I love to watch a good hockey or baseball game, I’ll even try to hit a few at the batting cages. But last year, for the first time since I was a kid, I stopped just watching football and I started playing. I started playing for fun and to meet new friends; but playing football became so much more than that. I started playing for my family, for my friends’ families, for my friends and for all of our futures.
Three out of five of my grandparents suffer or have suffered from Alzheimer’s or dementia. Yes, I have five grandparents; of course, I am a direct descendant of four of them. Out of those four, only one has not been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
Currently, only my Abuelo Felix has passed away and is no longer suffering from dementia. He was cared for by my loving Abuela Irma and my Tia Lisa.
My Grandpa Richard has Grey Brain Disease, dementia, Parkinson’s and a small brain tumor. He recognizes me as one of his brats and knows me by my name for a minute or two when I remind him. He is cared for by my cousin and her family. My grandpa loves my cousin’s children even though he can’t remember who they are or why they are in his house, but they bring the biggest smiles to his face every day.
My Gamma Elena was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s earlier this year; she is in the early stages, so to someone who doesn’t know, she is just forgetful. I lived with her for about two years in college, during which she became one of my best friends.
Think about all of the memories you have with your friends and family. Imagine if they slowly started to disappear. But those aren’t the only memories that start to go away. Imagine not remembering how to work the rice cooker or turn off the stove. Imagine spending hours on end looking for your belt, wallet or purse, only to find whatever you were looking for in the freezer behind your frozen peas or in with the pots and pans with no recollection of how it got there. These are small things that have happened to my grandparents, my friends’ parents and grandparents.
Yes, there are more drastic examples: my friend’s grandmother wandered outside while her caretaker was cleaning the kitchen. Luckily she was found several hours later by police officers, who she claimed had whistled at her and picked her up to take her out for a few drinks and get her some cigarettes. Situations like this sound funny at first, but imagine if it was you or someone you cared about, your best friend, and it never got better, it only happened more and more.
Playing football has always been something I enjoyed. Playing football with the Blondes Team for the first Alzheimer’s Association Blondes vs. Brunettes game in San Francisco became something for me to be passionate about. It became a way for me to give back to the generations that came before and give something to the generations to come.
This is why I play football. To preserve memories and to continue making new ones with my family and friends. To help prevent people from experiencing these types of hardships and to help those who are suffering and those who care for them.
Please join me and both the Blondes and Brunettes teams on August 23 at Golden Gate Rugby Club’s Ray Sheeran Field, on Treasure Island for a flag football game to make memories and support the fight to keep them for the rest of our lives.
-Jen, Team Blondes
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