WS Chronicle

By Busta Brown

“She was the apple of my eye, and I was of hers. One day I came home from spring break and she didn’t know who I was. I couldn’t deal with that. I couldn’t stand to see her like that, so I didn’t go back until the funeral.”

Garrett Davis is speaking of his grandmother, whose name was Goodness.  Davis is a playwright, director and actor, so he used his gift to bring closure to the death of his grandmother, both mentally and spiritually with writing a play called, “Forget Me Not.” 

The play raises awareness of Alzheimer’s disease by meeting people where they are and sharing their stories with the world in hope of letting other caregivers know they are not alone.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, caregivers provide an estimated 18.2 billion hours valued at $259 billion, and more than 5 million Americans are living with the disease and this number could rise as high as 16 million by 2050.

Alzheimer’s disease is the 16th leading cause of death in the United States, more than breast cancer and prostate cancer. Alzheimer’s is a disease that attacks the brain; it destroys memory and other important mental functions. It is the most common form of dementia, which is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. Treatment can help, but this condition can’t be cured.

African-Americans are two times more likely to get Alzheimer’s disease than our counterparts, yet we don’t have the knowledge to where the resources are because we don’t have the knowledge of the disease. “We are bringing the play into the communities so that African-Americans will have a better understanding of what’s happening to their family,” said Davis.

The play “Forget Me Not” has been on the road for 10 years. It’s backed by “US” against Alzheimer’s out of Washington, D.C., along with Bernadette Stanis from the hit TV show “Good Times” as a spokesperson. Stanis and Davis share a common bond: Her mother died from Alzheimer’s as well. In the beginning, she was an actor in the play, and then she took on the role as spokesperson for the play and Alzheimer’s Awareness. “We worked on some other productions, so when I reached out to Bernadette about doing ‘Forget Me Not,’ she has been very supportive.” 

Garrett Davis serves as a consultant for the Wake Forest University African-American Research Center on Alzheimer’s; Winston-Salem State University has one of the top Nursing Departments, so Davis said he wanted to make sure he brought those two together in this community in the name of Alzheimer’s research. “It’s important that we all work together in the communities to bring awareness to this serious disease, and it’s a great way to celebrate Winston-Salem State’s 125th Anniversary.”

“Forget me not” is at KR Williams Auditorium on the campus of Winston-Salem State University, tonight, Thursday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. It’s free! For more information, call Guila Cooper, director of Alumni Relations and Development for the School of Health Sciences at 336-750-8615.

Check out my interview with Guila Cooper on our YouTube channel @Winstonsalem Chronicle.