Media Release
Radnor Station Building 2, Suite 320
290 King of Prussia Road
Radnor, PA 19087
267.514.7221 / 866.507.7222
www.theaftd.org
Contact:
Angie Maher
[email protected]
267.514.7221
August 12, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Supporters of Local Rare Disease Organization Attend Social for
Upcoming Fundraiser
Susanna Foo Gourmet Kitchen in Radnor to H ost October Event
Newtown Square, PA—Joyce Shenian, former board member of The Association for
Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) in Radnor, hosted a social gathering for 24 people in her
Newtown Square home on Wednesday, August 6 in preparation for AFTD’s Food for Thought
event at Susanna Foo Gourmet Kitchen to be held on October 11. Mrs. Shenian, along with AFTD
founder, Helen-Ann Comstock, invited local friends
and supporters of AFTD to an early evening social to
share information about frontotemporal degeneration
(FTD)—a neurodegenerative brain disease that strikes
in a person’s 40s-60s and claimed the lives of both
their husbands.
AFTD Executive Director Susan Dickinson spoke
about the importance of the support of families and
friends affected by a rare disease like FTD. “Our
families and the professionals who care for them are
From r to l: Teri McKee of Wayne, Joyce Shenian of
Newtown Square, Joy Palazzese of Berwyn, Pop Shenian
of Philadelphia, Caitlin Gardner of Swarthmore, Diane
Fehon of Bryn Athyn and Linda Schalles of Wayne.
the best advocates in raising awareness of FTD,” said Dickinson. “When enough people raise their
voices about this disease, it leads to funding for research and improved care for our patients and
caregivers.”
-more-
FTD is a disease process that affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. It causes a group
of brain disorders that are characterized by changes in behavior and personality, language and/or
motor skills and an inevitable deterioration in a person’s ability to function.
As the culmination of AFTD’s first-ever nationwide awareness campaign, AFTD will host a Food
for Thought fundraiser at Susanna Foo Gourmet Kitchen in Radnor on October 11 from 6-9 p.m.
The evening will feature specialty food stations, wine and beer, music, entertainment, silent auction
and raffle. Phil Martelli, coach of St. Joseph’s men’s basketball team, will serve as honorary chair of
the event. Tickets are $125/person.
Tickets for the fundraiser may be purchased online at www.theaftd.org. For more information on
AFTD’s Food for Thought event, please contact Angie Maher at [email protected] or
267.514.7221.
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The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) is a not-for-profit organization created in 2002, originally named The Association for
Frontotemporal Dementias, to advocate for more funding into the causes and treatments for frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), as well as to provide
caregivers and patients with a central place to find information and support. Mounting evidence that these debilitating disorders are more prevalent than was
originally thought and the limited information and support available for caregivers and families, along with the lack of funding for research, inspired a group of
dedicated caregivers, clinicians, and researchers to create an organization to address these unmet needs.