Thirty years ago, José Guzmanbrwas chasing wins in the MajorbrLeagues. Today, the Colleyvillebrresident and former TexasbrRangers pitcher is chasing abrcure for Alzheimer's disease,brthe sixth leading cause ofbrdeath in the United States. He founded Guzman23brFoundation, a nonprofit thatbrprovides financial assistance tobrthe families of those sufferingbrfrom Alzheimer's.
brbrbr
On October 12, the Foundation will host its annual charity golf tournament, Putting for a Purpose,brat the Trophy Club Country Club. We caught up with Guzman to talk about golf, giving back, andbrhis inspiration to get involved with raising Alzheimer's awareness.
brbrbr
Q: You started Guzman23 Foundation as a tribute tobryour mother, Maria Mirabal Guzman. Tell us about her.br
A: She had me at 45 years old. I was the baby. I wentbreverywhere with her. She had raised seven otherbrchildren. I watched her work so hard around the housebrcaring for all my brothers and my sister. Before I wasbrborn, she did odd jobs to save money to buy a lot inbrthe neighborhood where I was raised. I watched bothbrof my parents sacrifice so much for us. But I was sobrclose to my mother. She was the most beautiful womanbrin the world. I loved to just sit and visit with her. Shebrwas such a sweet soul. When my mom got dementiabrand then Alzheimer’s, my sister took care of her thebrentire time. I decided I wanted to do something to help.br
Q: What do you find most rewarding aboutbryour work with the Foundation?
A: When we deliver meals or groceries to some of
the patients through the years and get to visit with
the caregivers. Even though many of them don'tbrunderstand what's going on, I can tell it's a comfort
to them. Also, when we provide caregiver services
to so many patients who are in their final stages ofbrAlzheimer's (they remind me of my mother so much).brAnd last, being able to help elderly patients who don'tbrhave family members caring for them. Just knowing webrhave been able to help them even though they don'tbrunderstand where the help came from.br
Q: How did the Foundation get its name?
A: The “23” represents the 23 chromosomes thatbrdetect genetics and if you are genetically dispositionedbrto have Alzheimer’s disease (or other diseases). Thebrfact that it was also my number in baseball was merelybra coincidence, albeit a significant one.br
Q: Tell us a little about how funds are allocated.
A: My wife and I spearhead most of the fundraisingbractivities along with our wonderful, committed Board.brThey have all been with us since the beginning andbrbelieve in our mission. Our Board and many of ourbrcommittee members have all been affected personallybrby this terrible disease. We base our decisions on
need first and then our ability to serve, being abrrelatively small foundation. While we'd like to be ablebrto help everyone we hear about that is suffering frombrAlzheimer's disease, we tend to allocate funds to thosebrwho are in the most dire need of help immediately. Webrsee some very tragic circumstances. We are involvedbrwith many of the memory care facilities in the DFWbrarea and they notify us when they see an extremebrneed. If we have the funds, we provide them.
brbrbr
Q: What do you want the community to knowbrabout Alzheimer's?
A: I can’t think of one person I’ve met who hasn’t
been touched by this disease, and the cases of it arebrincreasing. We are going to have a major problem onbrour hands in the coming years if we don't find a cure.brWhat I am doing with Guzman23 Foundation is simplybrtrying to help the ones who are suffering now andbrbring awareness to everyone of the resources availablebrwhen they are facing this horrible disease.br
Q: The fifth-annual “Putting for a Purpose” charitybrgolf tournament is next month. What can attendeesbrexpect at this event?
A: Lunch and dinner. Drinks on the course andbrafterwards. Celebrities from various sports activities inbrthe area. Hand-rolled cigars. Live music by Steve Helms.brA great raffle giveaway provided by Park Place Lexusbrfor a golf trip for two to play in a championship golfbrtournament at Pebble Beach including airfare, hotelbrand transportation. And the most fun-filled, laid-back,brfast-moving golf tournament in DFW.br
Q: What are some other ways the communitybrcan get involved?
A: We always accept donations through our website,brGuzman23Foundation.com, and bereavement fundsbrset up in lieu of flowers can be a great way to honor abrloved one who has suffered from this disease. We willbrbegin planning next year’s tournament later this yearbrand the funds raised from corporate sponsorships helpbrtremendously in our efforts.br
Q: What is your hope for the future of Alzheimer'sbrresearch and treatment?
A: Medicine is closing in on a cure for this disease.
It is imperative that government funds continue to
be allocated to researching a cure and/or providingbrmedications that can prolong the memories and brainbrfunction of those afflicted. If the population of ourbrcountry that suffers from this disease continues tobrgrow at the current rate, the financial impact will bebrextreme for the U.S. and its citizens.br
Q: Anything else you'd like to share?
A: My wife and I do all of the administrative work, sobrwe don’t have expensive staff or overhead. I thinkbrpeople like to know that their money is being put tobrgood use.