alzheimers news-thanks frank

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-THANKS FRANK

frank is frank broyles
if you are a sports fan
a football fan
a razorback fan
you know him as the iconic football coach for
the arkansas razorbacks
who won the national championship in 1964
one well known player on that team
was jerry jones the cowboys owner


frank broyles had a lot of battles with
the university of texas darrell royal
another iconic football coach

they have something else in common
they both died from alzheimers disease

darrell royal left the
darrell k royal alzheimers fund which funds basic alzheimers
research in texas and alzheimers education

now frank
left his mark with a book
that he wrote after his wife was diagnosed with the disease
ironic that he would develop and die from the same disease

here is the book
for sale at
this link at the alzheimers association book store
or
here on amazon



i discovered this book when my mother who lived in arkansas
was diagnosed with alzheimers disease
one of my sisters gave it to me

even as a physician i really didnt understand alzheimers disease
this book helped a lot
i was able to read it and understand what was going to happen
i was able to figure out where she was with the disease
what was going to happen next

i must say its the best book on the disease for folks who
are having to deal with it in their family

i obtained other copies and kept one in each of my three
exam rooms

i even occasionally would lend them out

i went back and read it more than once

its still a good book to have if you or your family are affected
by this disease

so
thanks frank
your legacy you have left like darrel k royal
is more than a sports one

the organicgreen doctor

dkr

DKR
if you are a texas longhorn fan
you know what those initials stand for
if you are a long time razorback fan
you know what those initials stand for
if you are a long time or new fan of alzheimers research
and awareness
especially if you live in texas
you know what those initials stand for
really stand for in the alzheimers world

this weekend my wife she and i went to the
dkr research fund for alzheimers disease fundraiser as guests
of the central texas chapter of the alzheimers association
with the main attraction after the auction
being a concert by vince gill and friends


it was painful for me to sit there as a razorback fan
to watch that video of the game of the century between
texas and arkansas on december 6 1969 play for the national championship
with president nixon helicoptering in at half time
to give out the championship trophy
at the time it happened it was real painful

now not as bad since i have become a hybrid razorback
longhorn fan

 

mr dkr darrel k royal head coach for texas that day and for
several years later and who has the football stadium in austin
named after him
was a real good friend with the razorback coach that day











frank broyles
royals legacy with the longhorns is equal to broyles legacy
with the razorbacks

but

they also had another thing in common besides football
it was
alzheimers disease

franks broyles wife was stricken with this horrible disease
frank broyles became a big advocate in arkansas for
alzheimers disease
he wrote a booklet on alzheimers which i have on my coffee table
at home
i used it a lot when i was dealing with my moms battle with
this terrible disease

then
worse i guess
darrell royal was stricken himself with this terrible disease
it being what caused his death recently

so football and alzheimers bound these two friends together forever

dkr and his family had started a dkr fund for research in
alzheimers disease

this night they gave out grants to midlevel researchers who are
doing the basic research thats needed to find a cure
for this terrible disease

then
at the auction they auctioned off a 1960s autographed football for
$30,000 and other things that went for thousands

i got to thinking about fundraising like this for alzheimers
its a good thing that folks open their deep money pockets
for such a good cause
but
i realize that really overall its the regular guys like us that raise
money that is really making a difference
$5 here $15 there maybe an hundred there

like little michael who raises $500 each year for the alzheimers walk
last year selling aluminum cans
it all adds up
i realized that its those folks the regular folks who really make a
difference
we really really appreciate you in our fight for a cure

and

it seems that dkr was and always was one of us
regular guys
although he fit in with the other guys those big donors
it was us regular guys that he liked the most
always stopping to shake a hand or do an autograph
he was really at heart one of us

what a good cause for his legacy to be tied up with

thanks dkr and frank
you did and are making a difference

the organicgreen doctor

darrell and frank

DARRELL AND FRANK

darrell is darrell k royal
frank is frank broyles
many of us know them as football coaches

those of us who are hog fans know who dk royal is
as
he brought his longhorns into fayetteville arkansas
in december 1969
in the battle of the century there in front of a full stadium and
in front of the then president nixon who was helicoptered in and was
there to present the national championship to the winner

it was james street the qb for texas who made a pass that
ended the hogs chance for their only national championship

yes all hog fans know who he was
even those born after that fateful game may know who he was

frank was the arkansas coach
of that fateful hog team that lost that day

they were competitors but they were good friends
good golfing buddies

both are legends at their schools and will always be
frank and dkr

they were also tied together in another way
a more tragic connection
that connection is alzheimers disease

franks wife barbara had a gradually onset of this disease that
eventually took her in 2004
coach broyles wrote a book called the
coach broyles playbook for alzheimers caregivers
it is a popular book for those families and caregivers affected by
this terrible disease

in fact i used it frequently as did some of my family members
in dealing with the terrible progression of the disease in
my mother

i kept it readily available in my office for others to read

so it this alzheimers monster hit frank broyles hard and took
his wife away from him
then
his good friend darrell k royal it hit him and took him away also
as the monster got him a few years ago

apparently dkr was witty to the end
he died last week after a fall
thats common a fall or infection to be the reason for the end
my moms was an infection

dkrs family have become advocates and big supporters of
the alzheimers association
something that happens to you when this disease hits your family

they have started a fund called
the darrell k royal fund for alzheimers research

so theres these two icons of college football
who are tied together by this sport
their friendship
and
by alzheimers disease

rip dkr

the organicgreen doctor