Support Frontotemporal Dementia Caregivers

Nancy Cathey Mauney waged a remarkably fierce battle against Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), contributing joy and laughter to her family's life even as the disease took her ability to interact with them verbally and, on December 9, 2022, her life.

John, her husband of 44 years, was her primary caregiver. And while family and friends supported him, the burden of caring for a loved one progressing through the stages of FTD is a draining physical and emotional commitment.

That's why I’m memorializing Nancy's life by raising funds for AFTD (The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration). It's a national charity dedicated to supporting FTD caregivers.

FTD is *not* Alzheimer's. In fact, FTD is the most common form of dementia afflicting people under 60. It represents a group of disorders caused by degeneration of the brain's frontal and temporal lobes. It's sometimes referred to as frontotemporal dementia, frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), or Pick’s disease. It afflicts about 60,000 people each year, and the economic burden of FTD can top $120,000 per year—nearly double the amount associated with Alzheimer’s. Because it can take almost four years to get an accurate diagnosis, the disease is often advanced before caregivers even realize what they're dealing with. Treatments are minimal; there is no cure.

That's why the work of the AFTD (www.theaftd.org) is vitally important. The AFTD's mission is to improve the quality of life of people affected by FTD and drive research to a cure. Research, awareness, support, education, and advocacy comprise the elements of AFTD's critically important work.

Join me in making a difference in the lives of those caring for FTD patients while memorializing the life of a wonderful daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend, Nancy Ann Cathey Mauney. Her courage and light in the face of an incurable, terminal disease are an inspiration.

Any donation will make a positive impact. It will honor the work of more than 60,000 FTD caregivers while providing resources to help them cope and support their loved ones through a disease that will eventually take their lives. Thanks in advance for your contribution.