Canton man honors father with ALZ advocacy

Sometimes life’s most worthwhile endeavors are the ones that are born out of necessity or circumstance.

Just ask Kurt Purnell of Canton, a software account executive who stumbled upon one of his greatest passions, Alzheimer’s awareness and research, after watching his late father struggle with the disease throughout the early to mid 2000s.

Kurt Purnell (Shannon Power photo)

For Purnell, just seeing his father, a veteran of both Korea and Vietnam, slowly deteriorate while his mother did her best to be a caretaker was inspiration enough to take action, and in the fall of 2004 he dove headfirst into service with the Alzheimer’s Association of Massachusetts/New Hampshire — an organization he is now poised to lead as the chairman-elect of the board of directors for the upcoming fiscal year.

“My father was diagnosed officially in 2003 — we had suspected that he had some cognitive issues before that,” explained Purnell, “and so I wanted to do something to be a little more proactive in fighting this disease.”

Purnell’s first act was forming a team for the Greater Boston Memory Walk (now called the Walk to End Alzheimer’s). He enlisted the support of his wife, Amy, and his father-in-law, and in a few short weeks they managed to raise over $1,100 for the cause.

“I think it was a very good experience for us, not only to support the [association] financially, but also to connect with other people in the same situation,” said Purnell, who decided to stay involved by participating in the planning efforts for the following year’s walk.

Over the next few years he continued to take on new challenges, eventually becoming the chairman of the Greater Boston walk — one of the largest of its kind in the country — from 2008 to 2010.

Purnell has also held numerous other posts within the association, including chair of the committee on public policy and advocacy and his current position as vice chairman of the board.

Reflecting on his evolution as a leader within the influential MA/NH chapter, Purnell said he’s simply “one of many good people there.”

“Definitely the motivation, the passion, and the drive was there from my side, but it was also about me being a little proactive,” he said. “I really went after them to see what I could do.”

“I’ve seen the association from many different fronts,” he added. “Overall, it has a lot of strong and dedicated volunteers.”

One of the most satisfying experiences for Purnell as an association volunteer has been meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill during the annual Alzheimer’s Association Advocacy Forum in Washington, D.C.

Purnell has attended every year since 2009, including the most recent one held April 22-24, and he has spoken directly to congressmen and senators about the need for more research dollars for Alzheimer’s.

The forum also features seminars on policy issues and current research, as well as presentations by notable advocates and early stage Alzheimer’s patients.

“We are grateful to Kurt and all those who took the time to travel to Washington,” said Betsy Fitzgerald-Campbell, vice president of communications and public affairs for the MA/NH chapter. “I encourage anyone who has been touched by the disease to get involved and follow the wonderful example set by Kurt.”

From Purnell’s perspective, events like the advocacy forum are a way for him to honor his father while also doing his part to help future generations of Alzheimer’s patients.

He noted how painful it was to watch his father struggle with basic tasks, such as driving, and the toll it took on the family, especially his mother.

“It was not an easy time,” said Purnell, who traveled back to the family home in New York City almost every other weekend. “I lived my life on Route 95, but at least my father was able to stay home the whole time, which I know is not possible for everyone.”

Ultimately, when his father passed away, it was not a direct result of Alzheimer’s disease. “He was in the moderate stages of it,” said Purnell, “but he definitely died with it.”

Looking ahead to the future, Purnell said he would love to see a cure for Alzheimer’s at some point in his lifetime, although researchers must first get to the point where they can slow the progression of the disease, he said.

“I think we’re still in the infancy stages,” he said. “We really need more awareness out and more research dollars, and eventually we will have that cure.”

In the meantime, Purnell will have his plate full this coming year as the new board chairman as well as the leader of “Willie’s Walkers” in the upcoming Walk to End Alzheimer’s in September.

The team was named in honor of his father, Willie James Purnell. For more information or to donate to Purnell’s team, go to act.alz.org.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=20784

Posted by Jay Turner on May 30 2013. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.