Ralph C. Carmona, Ph.D., is a Portland resident and adjunct professor at
Southern Maine Community College. He just finished a year-long appointment as
an Alzheimer’s Association National Early Stage Advisor.

More than a decade ago, at the age of 64, I was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. That moment changed my life — but not immediately. Like many, I first responded with denial and fear. It took time to accept the reality of my diagnosis and longer to realize that my personal journey could serve a greater purpose.

Alzheimer’s is not just a personal challenge — it’s a public health crisis. My story underscores why now is the time to do more, not less, in the fight against Alzheimer’s. 

In 2014, my best friend and wife, Vana, began urging me to seek help for my growing forgetfulness. I resisted. My mother endured a 15-year battle with dementia, and I feared the same fate. It seemed easier to downplay the changes I was noticing. Besides, what could be gained by facing an incurable disease? I soon discovered, the answer to this question was “a lot.”

My life experiences unknowingly prepared me for this fight. Growing up in a rough neighborhood in Los Angeles, I had an innate, lifelong desire to survive, battling segregation, poverty and family dysfunction. My involvement in the civil rights movement and education in the social sciences gifted me with the ability to see individual challenges and circumstances as much broader systemic concerns.

A career in lobbying gave me valuable tools to advocate for change. However, when we sought a formal diagnosis, we hit a wall. My health insurance did not cover the biomarker test I needed. Then, we found daylight: a free test if we were willing to participate in clinical trials.

This opportunity was a revelation. Joining the search for a cure was a no-brainer because this disease wasn’t just about me. It was about the many families across the country facing this awful disease — now estimated at more than 7 million Americans, including nearly 30,000 in Maine. That number is expected to double by 2060.

I joined a clinical trial investigating a potential disease-modifying treatment — something
that until recently had been elusive. For years, I traveled to Boston twice a month for infusions, memory tests and exams. Along the way, I learned that a wholesome and equitable lifestyle can protect brain health — something just confirmed by an Alzheimer’s Association nationwide clinical trial.

I started running, teaching and following a Mediterranean diet — thanks to Vana’s great cooking. Vana believed the treatment was working. In 2023, we learned she was right: the FDA approved Leqembi — a disease-modifying treatment I had been receiving since day one.

More than 10 years later, I continue to teach and even ran the Boston Marathon. I served on the Alzheimer’s Association’s Early-Stage Advisory Committee and advocate with state and federal representatives, urging continued progress on policy responses to Alzheimer’s.

My personal journey proves confronting Alzheimer’s can transform lives — and that public action is essential. It is a wake-up call: There is much we can do to confront Alzheimer’s by working together at all levels of society.

If you are concerned about changes in yourself or a loved one, talk with your family and health care provider. There are things you can do to live a fulfilling life; treatments and lifestyle interventions can give you more quality time. Caregiver education and support, as early as possible, will help families daily and avoid more serious complications.

In your community, you can make a difference. Volunteer and help others living with dementia. Simple things, like offering support, staying socially engaged and running errands or preparing meals can have a huge impact.

In Maine, encourage our state leaders to look for ways to promote access to care and support services in every corner of the state. This includes requiring insurance coverage for biomarker testing, which has been denied to me and many others.

We also need to recognize Alzheimer’s as a public health priority. At the federal level, efforts undermining progress on Alzheimer’s need to be stopped.

We are on the brink of breakthroughs that will improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment. But we’ll only get there by publicly confronting — not personally ignoring — this disease.

Alzheimer’s is not just my fight. It’s ours.