Alzheimer’s disease is the only leading cause of death that cannot be prevented, cured, or even slowed. It is also the most expensive disease in America. Today, there are more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease and this number is projected to grow to as many as 16 million by 2050. Despite the prevalence of this disease, many people are unaware of the effects of Alzheimer’s. A lack of awareness prevents many people from receiving the diagnosis and treatment they need.
To promote Alzheimer’s awareness and support research, Congress members Maxine Waters and Elijah Cummings have requested that the U.S. Postal Service issue a new stamp for Alzheimer’s. Happily, the U.S. Postal Service has accepted this request and issued the Alzheimer’s Disease Semipostal Stamp. Their goal is to raise public awareness about the disease and aid the National Institute of Health (NIH) in its efforts to increase Alzheimer’s research funding with the goal of curing or effectively treating the disease by 2025. The proposed research funding for Alzheimer’s reached $1.4 billion in 2017 and an additional $414 million has been approved by the Senate (pending approval by Congress to pass this increase into law). This increase combined with the proceeds raised by the sale of the Alzheimer’s Disease Semipostal Stamp should go a long way to achieving the NIH goal of curing or treating Alzheimer’s by 2025.