“Ask About Dementia, Ask About Alzheimer’s”

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – September is recognized globally as Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, and here in The Bahamas, one local organization is taking creative steps to raise awareness.

The Sunshine Pilot Club of Nassau is using a simple but meaningful accessory, a purple wristband, to spark conversations about Alzheimer’s disease, a neurodegenerative condition affecting an estimated 24 million people worldwide. The disease, which currently has no cure, impacts one in ten people over the age of 65 and their families, who manage symptoms for life.

“This purple wristband is courtesy of the Sunshine Pilot Club of Nassau and it was meant to spark a conversation around a disease that affects millions of people.” – DENIELLE MILLER

For the club’s president, Deanne Johnson, the initiative is deeply personal. She witnessed the toll of Alzheimer’s on her adopted mother.

“My adopted mum, it was exhausting to see her change from somebody vibrant and life-giving to somebody who didn’t recognize who I was.” – DEANNE JOHNSON, PRESIDENT, SUNSHINE PILOT CLUB NASSAU

In honor of her adopted mother and others living with Alzheimer’s, the club is joining international groups on September 21st for World Alzheimer’s Awareness Day. To prepare, they are selling purple wristbands, both to raise awareness and as a fundraising effort.

“What we’re planning on doing with the money raised from this awareness initiative is to purchase sensory blankets and fidget toys for Alzheimer’s patients.” – LESIA SANDS, PROJECT COORDINATOR, SUNSHINE PILOT CLUB NASSAU

Bands are available for a minimum donation of five dollars at Genesis Dental or by contacting 242-424-3877. Donations have already exceeded expectations, with some supporters giving far more than the minimum.

“We ordered five hundred bands, and even though we say it’s a minimum five-dollar donation, some people have been very generous, one person donated two hundred dollars, another fifty dollars. Five dollars is the minimum, but we encourage people to aim high.” – LESIA SANDS