Ik hoop dat dit jou en je dierbaren veilig en verbonden maakt in deze uitdagende tijden.

I became AFTD’s Board Chair in April. I’m writing to introduce myself, and to share part of my story.

I’m an architect. I live in Denver, Colorado, where I’ve been working remotely this spring. I’m father to three kids: two in college, one in high school. These months have brought us back under one roof, and it’s been wonderful to spend so much time with them here at home.

It’s an unfortunate reality that people can suffer today from both FTD and ALS. We lost both my wife Cathy and my sister-in-law Jeanette Ekstrand to these terrible conditions. Cathy was diagnosed with ALS/FTD in fall 2014, after years experiencing unusual symptoms related to communication and behavior. She passed away in December 2016, and my sister-in-law Jeanette passed away in April 2019. Both were mothers of three children.

Toen bij mijn vrouw de diagnose werd gesteld, had ik het geluk AFTD te ontdekken. De mensen die ik ontmoette hielpen toen we dat het meest nodig hadden, en ik leerde over middelen voor gezinnen die deze ongelooflijk uitdagende reis doormaakten.

In AFTD I found a passionate group of Board members, staff, volunteers, and donors working toward a common purpose: We envision a world with compassionate care, effective support, and a future free of FTD.

The struggle to end FTD isn’t the fight we would’ve chosen. A pandemic has only made it harder. But your courage, grace, and determination bring me hope – along with a great sense of responsibility taking on stewardship of this organization. I promise to bring my all to this.

During a challenging time, AFTD’s work is only possible with support from our donors. If you have the means, I hope you’ll join me in supporting this vital organization. Gifts that are unrestricted or targeted to Support or Research can bring AFTD’s impact to more people across the country. It has never been needed more.

Mijn familie heeft veel meegemaakt, en de uitdagingen die nog in het verschiet liggen, zijn groot. Maar ik weet dat we ze samen kunnen overwinnen, als we onze collectieve vastberadenheid inzetten.

Eerlijk,

David Pfeifer
Voorzitter van het AFTD-bestuur