When Jennifer Phelps’ two sons, Tucker and Parker, decided they were going to bike across the country for Alzheimer’s with their fraternity brothers, her motherly instincts lead her to worry. The thoughts of an accident happening were quick to emerge, but she spent some time thinking and praying about it until her initial worry turned into excitement for this amazing opportunity. Once Jennifer got on board, she was all in and ready to do anything she could to help. After all, Alzheimer’s wasn’t a new topic for Jennifer.
Jennifer and her husband, Tony, sending off their sons, Tucker and Parker, on Bike4Alz
Jennifer has been taking care of her mother-in-law since she was diagnosed with early onset dementia 4 years ago. Their relationship extends back 34 years since she was 16. She knew all about this woman’s time spent on the farm growing up and how hard she had worked in the factory. That is what made the dementia so scary to Jennifer. It was hard to watch a tough, persevering woman crumble from anxiety caused by the early symptoms of dementia. No one can really be prepared for such a change in life, but Jennifer maximized her flexible schedule and caring personality to soften the blow a diagnosis like this can have on a family.
She wonders what the situation would look like if she hadn’t homeschooled her boys and transitioned into part-time work in the past few years. If she was working full time who would accompany her mother-in-law to all her appointments and be able to recall what she had for lunch that day? If they had to hire a caretaker, would her mother-in-law trust a stranger enough to take the medicines she was given? Although Jennifer helps in all these ways now, she knows she won’t be able to keep up when the disease progresses. She has already started to look into Alzheimer’s care centers in preparation for when that time comes.
Given her experiences in the last 4 years, volunteering for Bike4Alz became more than just supporting her sons, it was supporting a mission that hit close to home for her family. She relentlessly met with businesses all over Frankfort and was able to secure half of the silent auction items at the Lexington KY, event by herself. Her efforts weren’t limited to donations. She recognized the importance of publicity and was able to get coverage of Bike4Alz in the local newspapers and TV stations in Frankfort and Lexington.
The Phelps family reunited in Virginia Beach, VA, the Bike4Alz finish line
While she kept up with her sons’ growth as they were gaining new experiences every day, she noticed that she was growing through this process as well. Jennifer is an incredibly friendly individual and has no issues talking to strangers. However, she found herself feeling very humbled when asking for donations and help from local businesses. After all, she was used to being the helper. It seemed that in the year of preparation and during the actual ride Bike4Alz came up in almost every conversation. She was overwhelmed by the amount of people who asked how they could support. One chance encounter in particular stuck out to her. She was ordering items on Etsy for a Bike4Alz themed gift and had been emailing back and forth with the vendor. When Bike4Alz was brought in their conversation, the vendor, who lived in Canada, shared that she had a personal connection with Alzheimer’s and ended up submitting a dedicate a day. Seeing the reach of Bike4Alz spread from local, to national, to international really put this organization’s impact into perspective for her.
Jennifer had never seen someone put together such a large logistical charity event like Bike4Alz. Through her sons’ stories and her own experiences with the organization she learned how willing the community is to help. What she witnessed in 2018-2019 inspired her to continue to support Bike4Alz with charitable giving. She knows that her money is not only going towards Alzheimer’s relief but also towards spreading awareness across the country and impacting the lives of anyone who comes in contact with them. She likes that you can keep up with Bike4Alz day to day and see what her donation is contributing to. For someone who is so caring and loving it makes sense that she wants to feel connected to the group even after her sons have gone and new riders have joined. Alzheimer’s is a fight that Jennifer will continue to fight for her family, but she doesn’t plan on giving up. Through Bike4Alz her ideas of the impact a group of people can create has changed even further and now she has a direct avenue to continue to contribute towards that.
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