YES! is thrilled to have our Board President Shannon Hammond dancing at the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Ball on April 6, 2024.
Shannon is knowledgeable in many aspects of dementia, working in elder law for years. When Lewy Body dementia struck too close in 2014, it opened her eyes even more. Her mother’s diagnosis spurred her to be an advocate and resource for others on similar journeys. She helped start our organization, YES! (Young-onset Education and Support), and tells her whole story on the Memory Ball site. Shannon has been a resource that many in the YES! network have turned to for advice and counsel, and she is consistently willing to aid others who are walking a similar path to hers.
It is this support for others that has inspired the YES! network to support her. Several people in the YES! community will be attending the Memory Ball to lend support to Shannon and bring awareness to young-onset dementias. They share why they will be attending the Memory Ball and what it means for them to be there:
“I am so very thankful to attend the 2024 Alzheimer’s Memory Ball as I honor my beautiful husband, Marty, whom I recently made the difficult decision to place in memory care for his Young Onset Alzheimer’s. I will be keeping his fun dance moves and his special groove in my thoughts as I celebrate the dancer, Shannon Hammond, for her dedication to the YOD community.”
~Nancy Crawford
“When I started learning about Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) and Alzheimer’s, I experienced how younger onset dementias are misunderstood and not given the proper attention and consideration they deserve, for both the caregiver and the loved one battling PPA (in our case)! Through the opportunity to attend the Memory Ball, I hope to raise awareness for all the younger onset dementias! This is MY “Cinderella”-like moment, even though my Prince will be at home battling PPA.”
~Marie Robertson
“Our young adults pour their youthful energy, dreams and imagination into the early years of launching their talent and families. The expectation to soar is parallel to their peers and is ripe with readiness and sharpened abilities. Like Shannon Hammond, those days were weighted down when the focus of my sons turned to the ending of their father’s career at age 60 by young onset dementia. A long-lasting detour sent them down the road to confusion, distressing years of unpredictable caregiving and harsh realities. Shannon’s dance, in her mother’s memory, also gives tribute to the sacrifices of the young adults who fell onto a rocky path of peer isolation, distressing family experiences, and a choppy disruption to their lives. Now my commitment to the walk alongside the families living with young onset dementia is enlivened through Shannon’s devotion.”
~Evie Vander Meer
“I am elated to attend the Memory Ball with my husband and be the featured family for the event. I am grateful for the opportunity to dance with him again not knowing when our last dance will be. I’ll cherish this moment forever. My greatest hope is that one day a portion of the money raised at these Memory Balls held each year, will help fund YES, which is the only organization specifically supporting families with a loved one living with Young-Onset Alzheimer’s in Maryland, and one of the few in the country. YES understands the needs of the families it serves.
My mission is their mission, to help bring awareness to the lack of support and resources for caregivers and their families dealing with the unique challenges of caring for someone with Young-Onset Alzheimer’s. It is truly a blessing to be a part of this organization with such an amazing group of people we now look to as, our other family. The Memory Ball will also be a treasured event because we’ll be spending it with many of them.”
~Val Smith
