my story revisited #152-they both were affected

MY STORY REVISITED #152-THEY BOTH WERE AFFECTED

i have been a fan of two college football teams in my lifetime
the arkansas razorbarks
if you live in arkansas thats usually your team

the other team is the texas longhorns
after moving to central texas it took time for me to become a longhorn fan
since i grew up disliking them
patients and friends of our kids become longhorn players 
many of our kids friends and our friends were longhorn fans

the horns and hogs had two well known coaches who were also good friends
they both were affected by alzheimers
dkr or darrel k royal had alzheimers disease 
frank broyles the razorback coach wife had alzheimers diease
frank broyles also published a popular alzheimers book that i kept in my exam room for patients to read
i found it useful to me as a physician and family member of some one with alzheimers disease

the blog below is about their story

in my alzheimers world i have my next infusion of aducanumab next week
i have about 10 more to go before i finish this embarks study 
they might extend it
i will make a decision then on what to do  based on the results of this and other studies
if it shows 22% or more improvement i will want to continue it either in this study or another study or in the private world
or
i might seek out the newer ones that might be available like lecanemab or donanemab or gantenerumab

i also have been asked to be on a alzheimers panel in los angles later this month discussing early intervention and early diagnosis

ooh
im the poster child i think of that one
__________
09-08-2014

DKR
if you are a texas longhorn fan
you know what those initials stand for
if you are a long time razorback fan
you know what those initials stand for
if you are a long time or new fan of alzheimers research
and awareness
especially if you live in texas
you know what those initials stand for
really stand for in the alzheimers world

this weekend my wife she and i went to the
dkr research fund for alzheimers disease fundraiser as guests
of the central texas chapter of the alzheimers association
with the main attraction after the auction
being a concert by vince gill and friends


it was painful for me to sit there as a razorback fan
to watch that video of the game of the century between
texas and arkansas on december 6 1969 play for the national championship
with president nixon helicoptering in at half time
to give out the championship trophy
at the time it happened it was real painful

now not as bad since i have become a hybrid razorback
longhorn fan

mr dkr darrel k royal head coach for texas that day and for
several years later and who has the football stadium in austin
named after him
was a real good friend with the razorback coach that day











frank broyles
royals legacy with the longhorns is equal to broyles legacy
with the razorbacks
but
they also had another thing in common besides football
it was
alzheimers disease

franks broyles wife was stricken with this horrible disease
frank broyles became a big advocate in arkansas for
alzheimers disease
he wrote a booklet on alzheimers which i have on my coffee table
at home
i used it a lot when i was dealing with my moms battle with
this terrible disease

then
worse i guess
darrell royal was stricken himself with this terrible disease
it being what caused his death recently

so football and alzheimers bound these two friends together forever

dkr and his family had started a dkr fund for research in
alzheimers disease

this night they gave out grants to midlevel researchers who are
doing the basic research thats needed to find a cure
for this terrible disease

then
at the auction they auctioned off a 1960s autographed football for
$30,000 and other things that went for thousands

i got to thinking about fundraising like this for alzheimers
its a good thing that folks open their deep money pockets
for such a good cause
but
i realize that really overall its the regular guys like us that raise
money that is really making a difference
$5 here $15 there maybe an hundred there

like little michael who raises $500 each year for the alzheimers walk
last year selling aluminum cans
it all adds up
i realized that its those folks the regular folks who really make a
difference
we really really appreciate you in our fight for a cure

and

it seems that dkr was and always was one of us
regular guys
although he fit in with the other guys those big donors
it was us regular guys that he liked the most
always stopping to shake a hand or do an autograph
he was really at heart one of us

what a good cause for his legacy to be tied up with

thanks dkr and frank
you did and are making a difference
___________

i met dkrs wife once at a luncheon in her honor and the dkr alzheimers fund for research

dkr and frank are gone now
but
their legacies live on



you can join and or donate to our organicgreendoctor walk team for the santa barbara walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 5th

the organicgreen doctor