May 12, 2010

AAQI: Art Quilts and Alzheimer's Research

NOTE:

Sorry, the photos disappeared once AAQI closed it doors! We raised over ONE MILLION DOLLARS with the sale of these tiny art quilts!!!

I created and donated 75 small format art quilts and made over $4,500 for Alzheimer's research funding so I have many, many posts with missing photos! I will replace them as I can, bit by bit, over time!


Original post at this site:

I'm delighted to report that my 9" x 12" AAQI quilt Transitioning Between the Polarities earned $80 at auction towards Alzheimer's research funding. All Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative auctions are held from day 1 to 10 of each new month. The next one begins on June 1st and runs through the 10th. Every auction follows this pattern and all end at 10 pm of each final night.

Thank you and many blessing to Rene' of Rene Creates, who bought my AAQI quilt at auction.

Now that it has officially been released that no study to date has shown any way to prevent or to slow down the transmission or process of Alzheimer's...not playing chess, nor crossword puzzles, not Sudoku, not an active, exercising lifestyle..and unfortunately not even being Internet savvy or having an active life in blogging or message boards that keep our hearts, hands, and mind alive! Dang! This just is not right!!!!!!

All we can do now is support research and keep studying, testing, and maybe inventing and trying gene therapies to treat or hopefully alter this in the future!!! And research monies are still desperately needed. Our quilts, and the money they earn through AAQI make such a difference in so many ways!

My brother and others from my family have been visiting us in Oregon this week, just as this study was released, and as it was announced that Walgreen's Pharmacy would be putting out a DNA test kit...spit in a cup and mail it in...that would include the results of any of us being likely to get Alzheimer's. Scary times...would you want to know, or would you rather just prefer hope that you had somehow eluded your family probability? The debate on that and whether Walgreen's will face potential lawsuits on either reliability or accountability for errors will no doubt rage in the media!

I have two more AAQI quilts currently on sale. Apparently, if we send them in multiples at a time, this may happen... as it has to me. Rather than my other two being on the assignment for the June auction list, they were simply assigned a 'price' and are at Quilts for Sale on the AAQI website. Let's face it, Ami Simms and her volunteers do an outstanding job and any way she gets our quilts out there and up for sale to earn monies for Alzheimer's research is a good thing!

My other two art quilts are:


4946 - Liberated Rose
see Quilts For Sale














4948 - Alzheimer's: It's More Than Black and White
Update:Sale Pending! Thank you so much to somebody very wonderful :)









Check out the page, there are hundreds up for sale, and many of our Liberated Challenge
quilts are still on this list awaiting purchase. Yours might be there, and you aren't aware of it!

If you have quilts that have not yet sold from a previous auction, they can be found on the website under Look at All the Quilts for all other current quilts and postcards. Perhaps you can talk someone into buying one or buying one yourself for a friend or family member as a gift.

Supporters have been known to create art galleries of AAQI quilts, either buying back their own favorites or buying those of others that they would love to own or display...at home or at work. It makes a wonderful conversational grouping, as well as a way of showing support for this wonderful cause.

To see all of our own groups' donated quilts, check out my update complete with photos of each art quilt or postcard at our group blog at:

Liberated Quilters: Our AAQI Challenge Quilts Latest Update

Twitter Updates from Ami Simms at AAQI

follow the AAQI on TwitterLiberated Quilting Challenge

Get the latest news about the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative on the AAQI BLOG!
For more frequent news follow the AAQI on FaceBook and Twitter.

4 comments:

Nancy said...

hubby and i discussed this when the Walgreens news came out. We decided we would want to know if we were going to get a disease only if alifestyle change would help. Since Dementia and Alzheimer's cannot be helped with anything right now, we decided not to know would be better for us...
I just finished a very interesting book on Alzheimer's named Still Alice. It gives a first person account of a 50 year old newly diagnosed with Alzheimer's. It gave me the information to understand that my mom has senile dementia, not Alzheimer's. Very enlightening...

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

I don't want to know if I have any disease, including Alzheimer's, if there was nothing I could do to stop it. I don't want to spend my "good years/days/minutes" worrying about what is to come next. If I don't have it though, I would love to know, so I don't have to wonder and worry. Unfortunately I think I would be figure out what the conclusion was if the doctor didn't tell me my results.

Paula, the quilter said...

I wouldn't want to know. That is like reading the last few pages of a book when you are in the middle. Spoils it.

Ami Simms said...

Michele,
Thank you so much for sharing about your AAQI quilt donations. I was especially tickled to see our Twitter feed on your blog. Your support of our efforts has been outstanding and we are so appreciative.

As for the new genetic testing opportunity recently in the news, my understanding (and I know just enough to be dangerous)of the genetic testing for Alzheimer's is this: There is a strong genetic connection between the very rare, familial, EARLY ONSET Alzheimer's disease (diagnosed before age 65) but not necessarily between the more common Alzheimer's diagnosed later in life. If you have THAT "bad" gene you still might not get Alzheimer's. And, if you DON'T have THAT "bad" gene, you still MIGHT get it. Genetic testing, at least for AD is still in its infancy. If you are seriously considering genetic testing, PLEASE consult a medical professional or genetic counselor who can help you think though the decision to be tested (or not)and can interpret the results for you. It is not as "cut and dried" as the commercials for this new product might suggest.

For more information on genetic testing, call the Alzheimer's Association 24/7 at 800 272-3900.