On July 16, 2019, our family received an earth-shattering diagnoses for a beloved family member. Dawn had sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). She a was a loving wife of 32 years, mother of four kids and a Mema of four grandchildren and anticipating the arrival of her fourth. She cherished her family and loved spending time with them . Not only did she give selflessly to her family she extended that to her work as a caregiver for all of her patients. She was one of the most loving, caring, selfless, and beautiful woman we were blessed to have in our lives.

That day we became Dawn’s Army! We couldn’t believe this devastating rare incurable disease could happen to her and we knew we had to become her warriors. We immediately got a second opinion and starting researching this rare, debilitating disease and realized there was no hope of saving her. We were by her side until she left this world on August 20, 2019 and our fight for her will continue until we can find a cure.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is a degenerative brain disorder that leads to dementia and, ultimately, death. Initial signs and symptoms typically include personality changes, anxiety, depression, memory loss, impaired thinking, difficulty speaking and/or swallowing, and jerky movements. Worldwide there is only one case diagnosed per million people each year.