
Double Your Love, Double Your Impact
Double Your Love, Double Your Impact
Help provide 2x the care and support for millions affected by Alzheimer’s and advance research to bring us closer to a cure during our Double the Love Match Challenge
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Having participated in long distance paddleboard races in the U.S. and Europe, I know my day will be long, but it will not compare to the long road that is Alzheimer’s and other dementia, which families affected by these diseases face each and every day.
Family First
It was five years ago when my family back in Switzerland began to sense that something was wrong with my father, who was then 71 years old. Dad has always been known as the talker, the entertainer, the guy everyone would gravitate to when he entered the room. In big groups, Dad was THE guy.
Now based in California, when my next visit to Switzerland was approaching, my brother warned me that our father was different, that he wasn’t going to be the father I knew. Keeping in touch via FaceTime and phone calls, I prepared myself for how different Dad would be.
When Dad was formally diagnosed with dementia, I didn’t know what to do, but I knew that I wanted to help from a distance. My mom is now supporting my dad as his primary caregiver, and my brother lives locally with his wife, a nurse, and their children, a big part of my mom’s support system. As the past five years have flown by, and Dad’s disease has progressed, my family knows where this road will lead. And we are fighting it together.
Paddlers Going Purple
From across the world, I keep my dad and my entire family close to my heart by honoring them today. My ultimate goal? Using my passion for paddleboarding to help reduce the stigma surrounding Alzheimer's disease.
As I was planning my event, I called my mom to see what she thought about me spreading awareness, which would include publicizing my father’s disease, something my family kept quiet about at the beginning. I was glad that she was excited to see that I was taking action in Dad’s name, and that I had her support. My raising awareness through The Longest Day is my way of getting off the sidelines to make a difference for all of my family back in my hometown.
Today, The Longest Day
The stigma around Alzheimer’s cannot outshine the love we have for our families affected by this disease. Today I paddle for all my family in Switzerland. It brings me joy to know that my mom is pleased with how I have told our story through social media, sharing my progress for The Longest Day, and raising the most important thing of all – awareness of Alzheimer's disease. If one person sees my posts, or this blog, and is inspired to open up to tell their own story, then I have done what I set out to do. I encourage families to summon all their courage to open up in order to get the help and support they need.
Today, I go purple with pride, wearing my The Longest Day shirt on the water as my wife and older son look on and others paddle with me in California and in other locations around the world. I paddle for my dad, for my grandmother, for my family, and for a future without Alzheimer's disease.
About: Juerg Geser works for Deckers Brands, and learned about The Longest Day through their yearly “Be Good, Do Good” charity challenge. He is currently training for a September paddleboarding race in Holland which covers 130 miles over five days. Juerg lives in Santa Barbara, California with his family and is involved with the California Central Coast Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Follow his paddleboarding adventures on Instagram and visit his The Longest Day page.