Catherine Alexander
My name is Catherine Alexander and I live in Portland, Maine with my husband, Todd, and our three girls, Sally (17), Grace (15) and Paige (13). Sally is an amazing young woman who has Down syndrome. I am running the NYC marathon in Sally’s honor to fundraise for research that could help prevent Alzheimer’s disease in the future.
LuMind IDSC’s Run for Down Syndrome marathoners are advocates who spread our vision of a world where every person with Down syndrome thrives with improved health, independence, and opportunities to reach their fullest potential.
LuMind IDSC Foundation was founded in 2004 by two families seeking better futures for their children. Today, they are the leading translational Down syndrome research organization and serve as a bridge between the Down syndrome community and the research community. LuMind IDSC envision a world where every person with Down syndrome thrives with improved health, independence, and opportunities to reach their fullest potential. They accelerate research to increase availability of therapeutic, diagnostic, and medical care options and empower families through education, connections, and support.
About Down syndrome
- Down syndrome is the leading cause of intellectual and developmental disability globally. An estimated 215,000 people in the US, and just under 6 million people worldwide, have Down syndrome today.
- Between 1979 and 2003, the number of babies born in the US with Down syndrome increased by approximately 30%; about one in every 691 babies in the US is born with Down syndrome, and the diagnosis occurs across all races, ethnicities, religions, and income levels.
- Life expectancy for individuals with Down syndrome has increased dramatically from age 10 in the ’60s to age 25 in the ’80s to age 65+ today.
- People with Down syndrome are outliving their caregivers. We are witnessing the first generation of seniors with Down syndrome.
- Research has shown that the lifetime risk of DS-related Alzheimer’s disease (DS-AD) is greater than 90%.