| Eva Martin - age 11 | | |
My name is Eva Martin, and FTD took my Nana from  me 2½ years ago in 2010. I was 9, and she was only 72 when she passed. I really miss her a lot. I still cry over her! She would come to visit us, and my mum, my brother and I would look after Nana to give my Granddad a little break from the hard work.
Last year, in 5th grade, I did a citizenship project. I wanted to help other people who didn't do so well, like my Nana did, with FTD. My nana always loved to sew and knit, so I thought I'd give it a try with her very own machine. I learned how to make items and sell what I made to raise money for AFTD. I made aprons, bags, dog leashes, yoga bags, scrunchies, and sleep masks. Even though it is a difficult wish to hope for, I would like it if no one else got FTD. I saw my Nana suffer enough to know I wanted to help others.
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Justin Peavey - age 14 | |
My name is Justin Peavey. I have been strongly affected by FTD, as there is a history of dementia in my family, but it wasn't a worry until recently. My maternal great-grandmother and grandmother had dementia. In October of last year, my uncle was clinically diagnosed with FTD and tested positive for a genetic mutation that has been known to develop the disease. My mom made the brave decision to have a test done to see if she had the mutation as well. On March 27, 2012, she got her test results back. She tested positive. This means she has a 95% chance of living with FTD in the future. Of course, now I and my two brothers have that 50-50 shot. She is healthy for now.
After an emotional and anxious couple of weeks, I decided to really educate myself on the disease. Through several websites and booklets, I learned how small a fraction of the United States even knew about this disorder. It wasn't long after that I had gone to my middle school principal with the idea of a fundraiser to raise awareness and money that would go toward research of the disease. I had raised $350 from my friends and fellow classmates, and then I made my fundraiser an online campaign, entitled "Her Star." Thanks to a lot of public exposure by AFTD, local newspapers and figures, I ended up collecting $2,452. I am inspired to keep going with my efforts to help find a cure. Every day, I get brand new ideas with ways to extend to broader audiences. My dream is to make a difference in the lives of those affected with this devastating disease!
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| Olivia Goldring- age 16 | | |
My name is Olivia Goldring. Over the past two years, I have reached out to AFTD because I wanted to do as  much as I possibly could to support their efforts. I started signing up for road races in Central Park. Because I enjoy running, participating in 5K races seemed more than fitting. I had friends and family members sponsor me, and sometimes friends even joined in the running. All the proceeds went to AFTD. Since then, I have been planning events for the coming school year with my school community such as walk-a-thons and other school-wide awareness days. From a young age, I saw first-hand the effects of FTD. My mother declined over a span of eight years until she passed away due to complications caused by FTD in February. I felt that it was my duty to do as much as I possibly could to support AFTD research and other ventures. I feel truly accomplished after finishing a race or fundraising because I know that my mother would be so proud if she could see me today. FTD is a disease that is not as widely known as Alzheimer's, for example, and I want to change that.
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AFTD's Back-to-School Campaign | | |
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