Yesterday I met with 12-year-old Frances Gardner of Newport News, pictured here with her little brother Bradley. Frances and Bradley's dad is 51 years old and he suffers from early onset Alzheimer’s. Their grandmother and uncle have also suffered from the disease. My mother died after suffering from Alzheimer’s for more than 10 years, so I understand how hard it must be for Frances and Bradley to lose their dad in front of their eyes.

Frances wrote me a beautiful letter about her family and asked for my support for Alzheimer’s research. She said that she worries about Bradley getting the disease.

“I sometimes think what would happen if he gets the same thing as my Dad and Uncle and Grandmother. I don’t want him to get this disease. I want him to always be my little brother (even if he gets taller than me) and I don’t want to lose him because a cure hasn’t been found,” she said.

As co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease I’m proud to tell Frances today that I am signing on to the HOPE for Alzheimer's Act. The Act will improve diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and increase access to information on care and support for newly diagnosed individuals and their families - providing essential support for those facing this devastating, debilitating disease.

Hopefully with better support and research, we can help prevent people like Frances and me from losing their parents to Alzheimer’s once and for all.