A progressive approach to a degenerative disease: The Army of Change fights for a cure

Enzo Simone is one man fighting for millions. Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease

Enzo Simone (center) and “The Regulars” (PD) combined affect over 30 million people throughout the world, and he’s on a mission to find a cure. “The real impact of PD and Alzheimer’s is much greater [than 30 million],” says Enzo. “Each person with the disease has a direct caregiver who’s obviously affected; then, consider all the people who have direct contact with the caregiver. If you multiply the number of people with these diseases by the number of people in the average American household, the number just explodes.”

Enzo is not alone in his fight; he’s literally raising an army. The Army of Change or AoC is made up of a group of volunteers who are each personally committed to the fight to end these diseases. Their first official “battle” will be at Mount Washington in New Hampshire on Saturday July 31, where over 300 people, each with a personal stake in the fight, will hike to the summit in order to raise awareness for the struggle to find a cure.

According to www.alz.org, the official website of the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder named for the German physicist Alois Alzheimer, who first wrote about it in 1906. It is a progressive and fatal brain disease that destroys brain cells, causing memory loss and problems with thinking and behavior. The symptoms become so severe that they impair work, hobbies, social activities— virtually every area of a victim’s life. The disease is always fatal, and it’s the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.

Like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease is, according to www.parkinson. org, a progressively degenerative neurological disorder that affects the brain’s ability to produce dopamine, the chemical that allows us to carry out smooth, coordinated muscle movements. As the brain’s ability to produce dopamine is increasingly impaired, the tell-tale signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease manifest; the pronounced quivering of the limbs and difficulty moving experienced by sufferers, and like Alzheimer’s, it is fatal.

“I took part in a study at NYU and basically learned that in twenty years I’m going to develop Alzheimer’s disease,” says Simone. The disease is hereditary, and it has affected other members of his family. “Instead of letting the news bring me down, I decided to do whatever I could to fight back. I’ve known from a young age that meeting other people’s standards wasn’t important and that challenging my self is what really matters.” Taking on these diseases is no small matter, but Enzo is not swayed by fear. “I imagine waking up one morning and going to the newsstand and seeing ‘ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE CURED’ across the front page of the paper.” That image drives Simone forward.

The Army of Change, composed of Enzo’s team of climbers called “The Regulars,” began the “10 Mountains – 10 Years: A Quest for the Cure” project in 2005 with two members. And as their website says: “Our vision is for a team of men and women to converge upon a new mountaintop once a year, every year, over the course of the next decade. A victory in reaching these summits is symbolic of overcoming the many challenging milestones in medical research needed to find the cause and a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Our hope is to tell people, teach people and enlighten people with the thought that they can also play an important role in conquering these diseases. In the time between our mountain summits, each teammate will spread the word, inspiring family, friends, neighbors and others in their own areas to become proactive in this worldwide effort to conquer these diseases. No man is an island; if everyone does a little, much can be done.”

Beginning with Mont Blanc in France, which stands at 15,771 feet, and ending with Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world at 29,035 feet, “A Trail Called Hope” is “…what may very well become the grandest, most physically demanding, and exciting campaign to raise awareness and funds needed to help find cures for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.”

So far, the project has been a success; “The Regulars” were the subject of a 2010 feature film documentary by Back Light Productions! called “10 Mountains 10 Years: A Quest for the Cure,” directed by Jennifer Yee, featuring music by Bruce Springsteen and narrated by Anne Hathaway. The film won the “best documentary” award at its premiere in May 2010 at the Connecticut Film Festival and chronicles the Regulars as they conquer Mount Kilimanjaro, the fourth of ten that they plan to climb.

This year at Mount Washington, the Army of Change and the Regulars will have the largest number of volunteers to date for their fifth climb, including people from all over the country flying in from places as far as Washington state to be a part of the event. “So many people have been reading about us and following us online and in the film, and this year they’re going to get a chance to actually be a part of it instead of having to imagine that they are.”

People are encouraged to register for the event, which will begin at 7 am at Pinkham Notch Visitors Center, by Friday July 23. The hike will take approximately nine hours, and the temperature difference between the base and summit can be as much as thirty degrees, so climbers are urged to be prepared with all the appropriate gear and supplies. More information regarding what to bring and how to prepare can be found at http:www.facebook. com/enzo.simone.

While there is currently no cure for these diseases, and treatment options are limited, there is a lot that can be done in the fight against them. Visit www.alz.org and www.parkinson.org to donate to charities that fund research in the quest for a cure.

Both of these sites can also be reached through links on the AoC website, www.TheArmyOfChange.com. For more information about Enzo and “the Regulars,” as well as the feature film documentary about them, visit www.TheRegulars.com.

Enzo Simone might be accused by some of having his head in the clouds, but for him, it’s definitely a compliment; he’s trying with all of his might to reach some of the highest clouds in the world. As it says on the website: “In the conquest of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, we were born to end this.”