Denise LeBlanc was thrilled when invited to be the guest speaker at this year’s Family Portrait Luncheon – an annual event hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association Southeast Texas Chapter in their mission to provide support to families who have dealt with this dreaded disease, and conduct educational programs as well as organize and facilitate support groups to help increase awareness and raise funds for research.
The 13th annual luncheon is set for Thursday, March 20, at 11 a.m. at MCM Eleganté hotel in Beaumont. Tickets and sponsorships start at $75 and can be purchased online at familyportrait.givesmart.com.
LeBlanc, of Groves, is a chief financial officer for a community behavioral health center providing mental health, substance use, and intellectual and developmental disabilities services.
She understands the value of faith, community and kindred-spirits in times of struggle. LeBlanc penned a memoir, “He Was,” the written word of her father Ronnie Carlin’s journey through Alzheimer’s disease.
“I knew nothing about Alzheimer’s before my father’s diagnosis,” said LeBlanc. “I knew it affected a person’s memory, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I learned how the entire brain is affected, therefore affecting all the body. I learned that there is a progression to the stages of Alzheimer’s and how we as a family had to alter our interactions with my father to accommodate his growing struggles. I also learned how the stages of grief are experienced as the family goes through this process.”
Findings from 2024’s Alzheimer’s Association Disease Facts and Figures annual report state that more than 6 million Americans are living with the disease, which is a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms eventually grow severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. A staggering one out of every three seniors will die with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer, combined, but there is hope.
Currently, there is no cure, but the Alzheimer’s Association won’t stop fighting until they find one. There is exciting progress in Alzheimer’s and dementia research that is creating promising new treatments for people living with the disease. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved medications that fall into two categories – drugs that temporarily ease some symptoms and drugs that change disease progression in people living with Alzheimer’s.
“The luncheon is very important for our community so that we can continue to provide current information about the disease along with new developments and advocacy help,” said Shanna Briggs, regional manager of the Alzheimer’s Association in Southeast Texas. “Our group is also heading to Austin in May, and we are going to try to get new legislation passed and new funding.”
Luncheon attendees will also receive a copy of LeBlanc’s book, which she described as random thoughts in a journal.
“I wrote details of things my family was experiencing and learning about Alzheimer’s,” said LeBlanc. “It was a way for me to mentally process what was happening to my father and then it became a way to heal when he was gone. Throughout his battle, I wanted to remember him as the strong, smart man that he was before the disease took over. My personal journaling became a book because I wanted others to remember him, and I wanted to share things we learned throughout his journey. I wanted to give him the dignity and respect he deserved that had been stolen by Alzheimer’s. ‘He Was’ is so much more than his disease. That is what inspired the title of the book.
“I’m actually very humbled and honored to have the opportunity to share my family’s experience in dealing with this disease. I will brag about my father and how his fight inspired the book.”
Chairs for this year’s luncheon are LeAnn Ewing and Lee Mann, who both lost their father’s – Charles “Podsy” Owens and Jack “Bear” Eisenberg, respectively, to Alzheimer’s.
“They are a dynamic duo,” said Briggs. “They are also co-captains for their Walk to End Alzheimer’s Walk team, which is called ‘Bear Podsy’ in their honor.”
The honorary co-chairs are Gay and Bill Scott.
“The Scotts are wonderful people,” added Briggs. “Bill lost his mother, Nita Scott, to Alzheimer’s, and they have always been great supporters of both the luncheon and our annual walk.”
For detailed information regarding the luncheon, view familyportrait.givesmart.com or call (409) 833-1613.
“I want people who are attending for the first time, or have been to each luncheon, to take away something positive they can do to keep their loved one’s memory alive,” said LeBlanc.
“Alzheimer’s is a formidable opponent. However, as the loved one or friend of someone who has experienced the battle, you can remind yourself and others that a diagnosis is not who a person was. They are so much more. You can talk about them and tell others about them as a means to revive the person they were before the disease. My memories of my father will surpass my own memory because I wrote it down. I want others to find hope and something positive they can stand on to heal.”