On February 20, 2026 our father, Frank R. Venuto was rushed to the hospital with symptoms resembling a stroke. Over the following weeks, multiple tests—including MRIs EEGs, lumbar puncture and blood work—were performed to rule out conditions like encephalitis meningitis, and others. Despite these efforts, our family was left without a clear diagnosis.

Doctors initially suspected a prion disease, and after further testing, it was confirmed that our dad had Prion Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD). This rare and rapidly progressing disease causes severe dementia and, tragically, has no treatment or cure. Our father’s symptoms had started subtly months before—blurry vision, loss of balance, and forgetfulness— which is rare for him because he is a very healthy 72 year old man. It wasn’t until the swift progression of his illness that we realized it was something much more serious.

Our family is heartbroken by his loss, but we also want to honor his memory by supporting awareness and research for prion diseases. We hope that, through this fundraiser, we can contribute to advancing understanding, early detection, and potential treatments for CJD and other prion-related conditions.

Every donation will help support vital research into prion diseases, providing hope for the future and helping to prevent other families from facing what we did.

Thank you for your support in remembering our Dad, Frank Venuto