Remembering Sandy Prizy

The STRIDES FOR CJD Walk is on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.

I still find it difficult to believe Sandy has been gone for three and a half years.

Early January 2021, there were no indications then that a horrible disease had invaded and would quickly rob Sandy of her physical and cognitive abilities.

Sandy was a wonderful Christian and I do not doubt where she is right now. She was 59 and full of life, mother of our three boys. and peacefully passed away in my arms on March 30, 2021, two days after our 34^th wedding anniversary.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease can randomly attack anybody at any time.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease is a rare, rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease, one of several prion diseases caused by prion proteins that misfold in the brain.

There is no treatment, no cure, and CJD is ALWAYS FATAL – often within a few months.

Imagine, one month you are both healthy and planning ahead to retirement, thinking about traveling, where you want to live, looking forward to your sons getting married, grandchildren – all those fun things about getting old together – and then in a couple of months, CJD randomly strikes and kills your spouse.

The early signs of CJD are often misdiagnosed. Sandy first had vision issues, which made one of her favorite pastimes difficult - nature walks and taking pictures. New glasses did not help. An eye specialist ordered a stat MRI. Results were first diagnosed as a stroke.

A couple of weeks after the stroke diagnosis, Sandy’s physical and memory issues were getting worse and resembled dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. I had called the office of our neurologists several times during the week because I was concerned that Sandy’s condition was getting worse.

It was Friday night, March 5, 2021. Sandy and I were sitting on our couch. I said to her that I think we should go to the hospital. Sandy replied that if I thought that was what we should do, then let’s go. I called our neurologists one last time and was told to meet at the ER at NW Central DuPage Hospital. Sandy never came back home. If I had known Sandy would never come home, I would have stayed on our couch and cuddled until the morning.

From a statistical standpoint, CJD has been referred to as a one-in-a-million disease. Nationally, there are 600+ new cases of CJD per year, which might be higher because CJD is often misdiagnosed. There is approximately one CJD death per every 6,000 deaths.

Another statistical view is to watch a college football game this fall. Pick one of those big universities with a stadium that can hold 100,000 spectators. CJD will randomly kill 15-20 of those spectators. It is easier to get CJD than it is to win a big lottery. We know how we can win the lottery. We are clueless as to what triggers CJD.

Sandy loved to tell stories. She had an uncanny ability to take a long story and make it longer - a fact that brought great humor to family and friends. She also liked to repeat stories. Just ask a family member what our secret sign was when Sandy was repeating a story that maybe we heard a couple of times before.

But what I would give to hear my Bride tell one more story.

Please come out to walk and talk about your Sandy Stories!

Best regards,

Mike Prizy

P.S. The Center for Disease Control allocates money just for CJD research – small compared to other neurological diseases. From the money raised, CJDFoundation.org awards yearly research grants. This year for the first time, two clinical trials are being considered. There is hope.

For information about the walk (or donate)

www.strides4cjd.com

For more information about this horrible disease:

www.cjdfoundation.org

To donate to our team, text STRIDES2024 to 50155.