LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Making a difference for those going through Alzheimer’s and navigating the difficult diagnosis.
The diagnosis could be challenging for friends and family who are caring for their loved ones.
However, with the power of love, those going through this are not alone. That’s the message country music star, Jay Allen, he made it clear when he sat down with FOX5 ahead of the “Power of Love” gala that benefits the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.
Allen sang his new song “Blank Stares” as he reflected on the connection he shared with his mom, Sherry Lynn.
“She was the best mom ever. She would have done anything for me,” Allen said.
His mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at just 51 years old.
He turned those memories into lyrics in his new song “Blank Stares.”
“She went from this vibrant 51-year-old woman to looking like she’s 80 years old,” he said.
The signs of Alzheimer’s crept up silently.
“It became real for me when my dad sat her down and told her to call me on my birthday,” he said. “Half way through, she forgot what she was talking about and hung up the phone.”
The disease only allowed his mom to live for another two years. But in between those years, Allen says it was music that would bring his mom back.
“She said, ‘Oh jay it feels so good to be here I love you son,’” he said. “That’s where the idea came from, ‘I still see you within the blank stares.”
He is now dedicated to making a difference finding himself at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. In a room where Alzheimer’s patients gather for music therapy, showing them how the power of love and music can go a long way.
“I’m the guy who has been through something and wants to share it,” he said.
Alzeimers affects nearly 11 million women in the United States who are either living with the disease or caring for someone with it. The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health “Power of Love” gala Friday night aims to fundraise for the center so resources and treatment can be offered at no cost.
Copyright 2024 KVVU. All rights reserved.
