As I sit here writing this research article on the fourth anniversary of my grandfather's death from Alzheimer's, I can't help but feel especially connected to more than just the physical destructiveness of the disease , but also the emotional cost associated with this affecting a family member. When I was a freshman in high school, my grandfather (mother's father) began his steady decline due to being diagnosed with this disorder. A man who all my life I knew to be strong and independent began to become physically and even more mentally fragile; after some time he began to show signs of drastic memory loss, constant confusion, and a dangerous inability to perform tasks he once performed with minimal effort. The onset of these debilitations has had an immeasurable impact on my family. My grandmother (his wife) bore the brunt of constant care for my grandfather as he slipped into a state of helplessness and inability to provide for himself. However, since my grandmother never learned to drive, caring for him became an almost impossible task. After my family witnessed the loss of my grandfather to Alzheimer's for almost a year and a half, my family decided to place him in a hospice facility that could provide him with the proper care before his inevitable death from the disease a few months later. my father's father lived in Ohio and his mother died before I was born, I could only see him a few times a year. My mother's closeness to my parents provided me with a special bond with them as I grew up seeing them a few times a week. Furthermore, I had never been alive long enough to see the death of a close family member, so my grandfather's Alzheimer's diagnosis was the beginning of a new and...... half of the paper..... . final connection between Alzheimer's and my life fails to be fully realized through research and gaining knowledge on the subject. I must follow in my grandmother's footsteps and contribute to the cause to help those currently affected by disability, but also look towards a future where definitive treatment can slay the beast that is Alzheimer's. Ways I can contribute to the cause include participating in Alzheimer's marches like the one in Binghamton and continuing my family's involvement in raising money for the Alzheimer's Association. Additionally, knowing the risk factors and causes gives me a better understanding of my personal risk of contracting the disease. However, this new knowledge does not scare or worry me if my future will contain this diagnosis, but it allows me to be prepared and ready to overcome any tribulations I encounter..