"I believe that it is time to change the future of Alzheimer’s! No longer should we be dismissed and discriminated against because of our diagnosis. We must empower our people and create opportunities to bring their voice to people who have yet to receive their diagnosis. Knowledge is powerful! Change is Needed in this Critical Time! I am very passionate about advocating for the newly diagnosed. It’s such a critical time!"
Loraine started her journey with Younger Onset Alzheimer’s during the end of 2022, and after numerous tests, received her diagnosis in 2023. Receiving the news that she had Alzheimer’s was devastating and unexpected. Now looking back, she can recall the signs of her very early decline.
What angered Loraine the most was the strain that it would put on her beloved family, the stigma of carying an older age diagnosis, and the financial demise and the dismissal from her friends and coworkers.
This would ignite her advocacy and education of bringing awareness of what YOA is, and what it means to have this disease.
Having Alzheimer’s is not a death sentence for Loraine, it's just a new awareness to advocate, live her best life and to make long lasting memories.
Loraine has an MBA in Nonprofit Management from Antioch University (2024) and over 25 years of experience supporting neurodivergent individuals. She served as a 2024 Alzheimer’s Ambassador for Eli Lilly and an advisor for Fred Hutch Cancer Center’s Financial Wellbeing in Alzheimer’s Disease initiative. Loraine is actively involved in several research studies, including Massachusetts General's Longitude Study for Cognitive Decline and Cleveland Clinic’s SHEILD Study, while also supporting individuals with Early/Younger Onset Alzheimer’s in the Miami Valley Area of Ohio.