AFTD’s volunteer of the month for the month of March is Amy Canavan.

In 2016, Amy’s husband, Jeff, was diagnosed with bvFTD. Looking back, however, he began presenting symptoms nearly a decade earlier. “My daughter was the one that realized something was wrong when she was 12 years old and working on a health project about dementia. Up until then, we took it as a ‘midlife crisis,’” Amy shares. “When he was diagnosed, he refused to believe it. Only in the past few months has he recognized that there is ‘something just not right.’”

Like many on the FTD journey, Amy felt isolated and frustrated. “I was tired of hearing from our doctors that this was a rare condition that no one specialized in locally, and I should just go to the Alzheimer’s Association and the Office for the Aging,” she says. Eventually though, Amy found AFTD and “spent time speaking with their amazing staff that recognized my reality.”

In 2021, Amy became an AFTD volunteer to “help to make sure that no other caregiver facing the challenges of FTD would feel brushed off or dismissed.” Last fall, she hosted three Virtual Meet & Greets for Central and Western New York, providing an opportunity for those on the FTD journey to connect locally with others who understand, share experiences, and learn about available resources.

AFTD is so grateful to Amy for her service and commitment to making a difference for those affected by FTD. If Amy has inspired you to take action and volunteer, click here to learn more and get started!