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Ninety-six-year-old Donald Sugg is legally blind. But that doesn’t stop him from jumping out of planes. In honor of his birthday, he plans to skydive today. But his birthday is not his only motivation. He is also celebrating Alzheimer’s Action Day, held every Sept. 21.

After witnessing his two sisters struggle and die of the disease, it is a cause he has nothing but passion for. And he is not one to sit by the sidelines. So Sugg is fighting Alzheimer’s on all fronts, whether putting an awareness sign on his walker or bowling to raise funds. His efforts have earned this intrepid 96-year-old the title of “Everyday Hero” from the Alzheimer’s Association.

His sister Reva had a long battle with the disease, finally succumbing about a year ago. Sugg visited her faithfully every day, although she oftentimes did not recognize him.

“(Watching them suffer) is almost indescribable. The way it comes on gradual and all and the effect. The more I saw of it, not only there, it makes me want to do more than I was able to do for them,” Sugg explained.

Visiting her, he relieved their happy memories of travelling and camping together hundreds of times. Some days she knew him, others she didn’t.

“It was worth it if when occasionally, she knew what was going on,” he declared. “There’s no two days the same with someone who has Alzheimer’s. You may go in and they’re glad to see you … you go back 20 minutes or five minutes, they might go ‘what are you doing here?’”

Sugg has been a skydiving aficionado for 15 years, first jumping with his now-deceased sisters, and now makes it a point to go at least twice a year. “It’s nothing new for me,” he asserted.

Of course, skydiving for a cause it not just normal skydiving. His jumpsuit, purple in honor of Alzheimer’s cause color, displays the name, address and phone number of the Alzheimer’s Association. Sugg hands out addressed envelopes to send donations in, telling people he is jumping to raise money for Alzheimer’s. The last time he dived, it was featured on the radio, in the newspapers and on television stations such as NBC and CBS, and he received calls from Michigan to Miami.

“Thousands or maybe millions of people saw the name Alzheimer’s. It may influence them a week, a month, six months. When they think about it … you can’t put a dollar value on that. It may pay off in a week. It may pay off in a year. But the more you put the name Alzheimer’s in front of the public, it’s going to benefit eventually. As long as I’m young like this. When I start to get old, I won’t be doing things like this,” the Alzheimer’s advocate asserted.

His contact with Alzheimer’s has inspired him to want to do more and to be a better person.
His drive to save others from the disease quickly overtook his life. Everything he does, he says, he does for Alzheimer’s.

“Even when I sleep at night I think of things I could do and so on. It’s my life now,” he said. “I’ve had a wonderful life. And when I leave the world, I want people to say he left the world better. He tried to do something to help other people, to pay back for the good life I’ve had.”

His remarkable moral courage has inspired those around him, such as his friend Maureen Ingianni.

“His drive and enthusiasm is contagious, absolutely contagious,” Ingianni, who has known Sugg for eight years, said. “He constantly wears a cap with ‘think positive’ and he does, every day.”

The big purple sign on his walker declares to everyone he encounters “The end of Alzheimer’s begins with us,” and he constantly carriers awareness bracelets to sell.

“The effort that is being put forth to find a cure, there will be a cure found. There was a cure found for leprosy. They thought there would never be,” Sugg maintained. “Eventually, there will be a cure. It may not be today, but we’re going to find a cure. With their help, no matter what it is, it will help.”

He enjoys being active for the cause and doesn’t know what he would have done without having that motivation in his life. Battling Alzheimer’s is his mental exercise.

“Don always tells me the mind is an amazing machine and the more you use it, the more productive it will be,” Ingianni said. “When you start sitting around aimlessly doing nothing, it leaves the brains the ability to just fall apart. But if you keep active mentally and physically, you’ve got a good chance of being productive.”

As long as he is able, Sugg will fight for his cause.

“I’m going to do all that I can as long, as I am here. As long as I can I’m going to do the best I can. I’m doing this for Alzheimer's. It’s not for me. Maybe it will help put something together and we can help somebody else,” Sugg said.

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