Riding around in his father’s car as a boy, listening to the album The Joshua Tree by U2.
Although his father Scott might not remember it any more, Ryan MacDonell ’20 holds that memory dear — and even more so now since his father’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease in 2018 at the age of 62.
Moved by a desire to help make a difference, MacDonell now sits on the board of the Long Island Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
Understanding Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disease currently affecting more than 55 million people in the world. It is the most common cause of dementia, affecting one’s memory, thinking, and behavior. And currently, there is no cure.
Scientists also don’t yet fully understand what causes Alzheimer’s in most people.
MacDonell shared that it took a little while to realize something was going on medically with his father.
“Initial symptoms were mostly personality based,” said MacDonell, who graduated from SJNY with a B.S. in Business Administration. “There were a lot of changes in just who he was and how he was acting, not specifically memory wise.”
MacDonell described his dad as easily agitated and angry before the diagnosis, which caused a lot of rifts at home before any knowledge of the underlying cause.
“It’s easier to make sense of everything now,” said MacDonell, whose mother Patricia and sister Erin both attended St. Joseph’s, graduating in 1989 and 2018, respectively. “At the end of the day, he probably had a bit of an idea that something was seriously wrong, and I can’t imagine what that feels like. And now that we have that reason for it, it’s much easier to look past it and try to be supportive as opposed to trying to fight against it.”
Making a Difference
At the beginning, MacDonell and his family struggled with adjusting to the diagnosis and the behaviors that come along with it. That’s what led him to the Alzheimer’s Association.
“There’s a 24/7 helpline,” he said. “It’s 800.272.3900. 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including holidays, for people with Alzheimer’s, people who are caregivers, people who just have questions. It’s always available. They’re great. They get roughly 240,000 calls a year. There’s also a number of support groups throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties that operate on a monthly basis that are great.”
MacDonell shared that the support groups were extremely helpful to him. Now, he’s looking forward to returning the favor and helping to make a difference at the Alzheimer’s Association.
“The ultimate goal is to one day see a cure,” he said. “In the meantime, I feel most of my strength would be public education and making the disease more understood, to get rid of some of the stigma for it.”
And with a platform that has offered support and care more than 6.5 million times through various support groups, education programs, care consultations and more, it seems like MacDonell has found his place to help make a difference.
“The Alzheimer’s Association is the largest nonprofit research funder for Alzheimer’s, and they also have hundreds of thousands of advocates that are constantly seeking to meet the needs and rights of people with Alzheimer’s,” shared MacDonell, who works as a financial planner at the Center for Wealth Preservation in Hauppauge.
