Operation Hope: Alzheimer's? Dementia? Cognitive Decline? 8 Pillars to Healthier, Stronger, Longer

Imagine a woman. Imagine knowing this woman's life story--her strengths, triumphs, brilliance, gifts and contributions to others, as well as to society overall. Imagine cherishing her with all your heart. Imagine that she is your mother. And as you approach her with thousands of jumbled emotions all bunched up in your heart, you see her beautiful eyes look back at you... blank and empty, as if someone, or something, had stolen the vibrant, brilliant person she once was and left only a shell to remain. She's there, but yet she's not. And while you are grateful that you can still be with her, still hug her, still tell her that you love her... you can't help but miss the person she once was. You can't help but wish she could look at you--just one more time--with the understanding, strength and the sort of unspoken love that only your mother's eyes could. This is what it means and what it feels like to have a parent suffering with Alzheimer's, Dementia or Cognitive Decline. These silent diseases are not often talked about, or even thought about until you are the child, craving for the parent you once knew. However, statistically speaking, cognitive disorders are on the rise.

- An estimated 5.4 million Americans currently have Alzheimer's disease.

- By mid-century, the number of people living with Alzheimer's is projected to grow to 13.8 million.

- By 2050, one new case of Alzheimer's is expected to develop every 33 seconds, resulting in nearly 1 million new cases per year.

Stop and think about that for a second. 1 million new cases per year. These are staggering numbers--but they are also unacceptable numbers.