Good morning!

This is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month so I thought it would be a good time to share a story…

There once was a remote little village where friendly people lived.

They had thatched roofs.

They would leave their cozy cottages every Saturday morning and gather at the serene local park.

They would talk about things as they walked and smiled.

This particular morning was sunny and crisp.

There were many yellow and orange trees.

The people knew a lot and they looked very young.

Well, on this particular November Saturday, the doctor asked them to raise their hand if they thought walking helped prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Every hand went up.

Well, one hand slowly raised until he saw all the other hands shoot up.

The doctor was impressed that everybody knew this. 

“Wow! Ok, wise townsfolk”. the doctor said, “By what percent?”

A couple of the kind villagers said 25% and a few, one wearing maroon shoes, said 50%.

No one raised their hand, by the way, they just blurted it out.

“Once again you are all correct.” 

4,000 steps/day lowers it 25% and 10,000 steps/day lowers it nearly 50%

Who gets 4k steps a day, you ask?

A lot of people said the cardiologist who asks every patient how many steps they get.

Then a little boy in the back raised his hand.

He was dressed as Superman with a red cape and boots (a little late for Halloween but super adorable). 

Superman looked puzzled.

“If we can cut Oss-Heimer’s in half by walking, why aren’t more people here?”

He (Josh) is 8 years old. 

He kept going.

“More than 6 million people are living with Oss-heimer’s, why is barely anyone walking 10,000 steps/day?”

Did he just do a 2nd-grade project on this?

“And Dr. Submarine, we are spending 3.5 billion dollars a year on Alzheimer’s research and barely anyone is taking the ‘treatment’ we already know works?

Why aren’t we spending that money promoting a KNOWN/PROVEN treatment?”

Josh keeps going.

“For comparison, Dr. Submarine. For people with known cardiovascular disease, baby aspirin cuts your risk of another heart attack or stroke by 18-30%.

This is great and everybody who’s had a heart attack or stroke and should take an aspirin, does.

Why then don’t people walk?”

The walkers are quiet and start to look around at each other.

“He’s 8,” one email walker whispers to another.

“That would save 3+million Americans from Oss-Heimers, wouldn’t it?”

He’s not done.

“And oh by the way Oss-Heimers is only one of the dozens of diseases walking treats, right?”

I look over at Bryan.

Under my breath. “Can we find this kid a job?

Bryan spoke through his smile without even moving his lips, 

“Why don’t we start by letting him write the next newsletter”

“Yep, great idea.”

Josh (and David)

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