This is personal. My mother has Alzheimer's disease. She lived with my husband and I for nearly four and a half years. In January 2006 she moved into an Alzheimer's unit. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Over the past five years I’ve watched this talented, intelligent woman lose pieces of her mind. She was once a bookkeeper; now she can’t tell you how old she is. She was an avid reader; now the written word holds no meaning for her. She was once a gourmet cook; now she needs us to identify the food on her plate. She once raised a family, ran a household, and held a job; now the simplest tasks are a mystery to her: finding her bedroom, getting dressed, and recognizing the people who love her. She cannot understand what is happening to her. Life is frustrating most of the time; sometimes it is terrifying. Her mind "short-circuits" and she sees things that aren't there. She imagines she is chased, punished, lost, hiding, or searching. The demons are in her own mind and she can not vanquish them. She lives moment by moment with no memory of the past and no understanding of the future. My mother is just one of 4.5 million Americans who have Alzheimer's disease. There are countless wives, husbands, sons, and daughters who suffer with them. We need to find a cure. I know the power of quilting. I've seen quilts that make me laugh, make me cry, and make me think. If you help me, I know together we can make a difference, one quilt at a time.