A message from Little Voice’s author, Amanda Bernardo
Thank you for supporting my journey to fight Alzheimer’s disease in honour of my grandmother Teresina Bernardo.
The topic of Alzheimer’s has always been an emotional one in my family. It would be difficult for any family living with this disease to describe it.
Recently, however, I read an article that truly took the words right out of my mouth; the article read: “The more I lose my mom to Alzheimer’s, the more I experience how painful it is to miss someone who is sitting right in front of you.” That’s just it, typically when we lose someone we have a chance to say goodbye, to mourn and to heal. Yet, with Alzheimer’s disease you don’t really get that. You say goodbye after each conversation and watch as this disease slowly strips you away from your loved one’s memories. You see someone you love disappear even though they are standing right in front of you.
Regrettably, this is a reality my family has had to face with my grandmother who has been “living” with Alzheimer’s disease for over twenty years.
I have always struggled to talk about Alzheimer’s disease ever since I was seven and learned of my grandmother’s fate, a fate I then feared would one day be my own. However, in the last two years, I have made it a point to support Alzheimer’s disease any way I possibly can. After publishing my children’s book, I realized I had the opportunity to use this newly found platform as a means of doing good. And so, I set out to create the Little Voice Forget Me Not Project, a project that donates a portion of each book sale in support of the Alzheimer Society of Canada and, which throughout the year, volunteers to support our local chapter in our community, the Alzheimer Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County.
This year, I am pleased to join the Alzheimer Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County for my second walk with the #WalkForAlzheimers! I am hoping that together, with a little help from my friends, family and colleagues, we can create awareness and give back in order to support the essential programs and services that work to effectively alleviate the personal and social consequences of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias within our community.
We all have a cause that is close to our hearts, thank you for taking the time to read about mine.
To learn more about Little Voice’s fundraising efforts, please visit:
https://littlevoicebooks.com/forget-me-not/