Deborah Kan

A Note From Being Patient Founder Deborah Kan

By Deborah Kan | July 23rd, 2018

As Being Patient celebrates our one-year anniversary, I wanted to take this time to thank you, our readers, for making this year one of phenomenal growth. When I founded Being Patient, my mission was to provide people with better information on the research of Alzheimer’s and dementia and give a community of people impacted by the disease (as I have been with my mother) better access to those at the forefront of the search for a cure.

Our rapidly growing audience has proven there is a need for better information and editorial independence in this space. We listened to you tell us where you needed more clarity and published stories on difficult topics like what it’s really like to die from Alzheimer’s disease, what it’s like to find out you carry the Alzheimer’s gene and the complicated emotions of caregiving. We heard from experts like The Banner Institute’s Pierre Tariot, Harvard’s Rudy Tanzi and Cleveland Clinic’s Marwan Sabbagh on what patients can expect from the latest research and delved into the lifestyle studies to determine where science is in providing evidence on prevention.

Our formula was working so well, we thought we would take it one step further and provide you with direct access to the experts through our Facebook Live series: Being Patient Brain Talks. We let your questions drive the conversation and realized we had opened the doors between researchers and patients and their families. The talks have lead to patient activists monitoring their own health and seeking collaborations with researchers they encountered through our talks.

The emotional needs of caregivers cannot be ignored when one takes on the arduous job of looking after their loved one. That’s why we launched Being Patient Voices—so that you could give other caregivers advice on specific lessons you have learned on this journey.

We are humbled every time we receive an email, Facebook message, Instagram DM or tweet that we have reached someone or impacted their lives in a positive way. We have traveled the globe to get the answers you told us you needed and landed in cities like Phoenix, Boston, Washington, D.C., London and Hong Kong. We will continue to seek out access to the latest research to stay on top of Alzheimer’s news and arm you with information about what you can do right now to maintain brain health and take care of your loved one.

We have a lot more in store for our second year. We are always grateful for your feedback and continue to welcome suggestions about how we can continue to serve our growing community. Please get in touch here.

I reflect on our first year anniversary with so much gratitude and continue to look for answers as I watch my own family struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Thank you for joining me on this journey.

—Deborah Kan

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