ALICE'S STORY
Alice Brown was a vibrant and deeply caring person. She was a wife and a mother. When she should have been enjoying her 50s and raising her daughters, she was battling Alzheimer’s disease. In the late-80s when this was taking place, Alzheimer’s was thought to be something that happened only to older people. It was that very idea that prevented Alice from receiving an accurate diagnosis.
Alice and her husband Keith experienced an incredible hardship in their life even before her symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Tragically, they lost their 16-year-old son, Brad, in a car accident. Because of that event, doctors misdiagnosed Alice’s symptoms. They treated her for depression. She pursued treatments that were not only ineffective, but they were also horribly traumatic. One of those treatments was electroshock therapy.
Alice’s cognition and memory declined. She experienced extreme paranoia and confusion. She had a tremendously difficult time completing basic daily tasks. Even shopping for groceries was incredibly complicated and some days, impossible for her. Keith eventually moved out because she was very upset with him and was angry about the disease process. Despite her struggles, Alice continued to do all she could to help raise her teenage daughters, Marcy and Darcy.
It was in the late-90s when Alice was finally diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. It took traveling to Johns Hopkins Medical where she had an MRI to diagnose her condition. Once diagnosed, her family and husband, Keith, rallied around her to help.
During the last few years of her life, Alice required around-the-clock care. For additional support, she and her daughter Marcy moved in with Angela Hilleshiem. In the fall of 2000, at the age of just 64, Alice lost her battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Alice’s cognition and memory declined. She experienced extreme paranoia and confusion. She had a tremendously difficult time completing basic daily tasks. Even shopping for groceries was incredibly complicated and some days, impossible for her. Keith eventually moved out because she was very upset with him and was angry about the disease process. Despite her struggles, Alice continued to do all she could to help raise her teenage daughters, Marcy and Darcy.
It was in the late-90s when Alice was finally diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. It took traveling to Johns Hopkins Medical where she had an MRI to diagnose her condition. Once diagnosed, her family and husband, Keith, rallied around her to help.
During the last few years of her life, Alice required around-the-clock care. For additional support, she and her daughter Marcy moved in with Angela Hilleshiem. In the fall of 2000, at the age of just 64, Alice lost her battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
THE ALICE FOUNDATION
Angela was inspired by Alice’s family’s incredible friendship and kindness. She wanted an opportunity to share Alice’s legacy with others. In 2015, Angela and Alice’s family established the Alice Foundation. Since its inception, the foundation has helped countless residents and staff within the Edgewood Family of partnerships. The foundation helps those in need to afford transportation, medications, daily care, meals, supplies, durable medical equipment, home and appliance repairs, mobility devices, and funeral expenses.
It’s the goal of the Alice Foundation to find a way when it feels like there’s no way. Through human kindness and paying it forward, it’s the foundation’s purpose to give hope and serve anyone who is experiencing hardship.