Anthony (Tony) Vericella, MBA '80

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Last September, Anthony (Tony) Vericella, MBA '80, launched a nonprofit, 501-c-3, tax exempt, public charity, Alzheimer’s Caregiving & The Caregivers.

"I am reaching out to you to share our personal journey," Vericella wrote. "It is one that my family has in common with millions of others, and one that I hope yours might be spared. As we get older, the two things we hope for are to remain healthy and active, mentally and physically. We plan to retire, to travel, to share experiences with family and friends, creating memories for our next generation. This is our collective dream.

"However, there is a devastating, invisible impact of aging that most of us never consider, and, more frighteningly, an impact none of us can control, predict or reverse. It is the onset of Alzheimer’s or any form of dementia. Until faced with the debilitating and progressive impact of this disease, it is nearly impossible to understand.

"Today, Sept. 21, as I celebrate the date on which Dana and I got married, remembering the hopes, the aspirations, and the dreams we imagined then, it is hard to overlook the irony that Sept. 21 is also celebrated as World Alzheimer’s Day. We are a family facing the impact of this horrible disease. On this, our anniversary, instead of celebrating 43 wonderful years and visualizing the next 10, 20, 30 years together, we are sharing our journey, caregiving for Dana, so that we might help others facing this diagnosis take steps to prepare, plan and sustain the love of family.

"The video segments we are creating are both painful, surfacing memories of the life we will not be able to share, and also cathartic, providing all of us a chance to come to grips with the impact. We believe strongly that sharing our knowledge, grief, collective understanding and our personal experiences might be the best way to help others facing this life-changing diagnosis."