Kira Chivers Organizes Fundraiser for Alzheimer Awareness  

Women’s basketball third-year guard Kira Chivers announced on her Instagram Feb. 10 she’d be organizing a fundraiser for Alzheimer’s awareness.

Chivers’ grandfather, Jack, was diagnosed about a year ago with early-onset Alzheimer’s, according to Chivers. 

Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior, with symptoms eventually growing severe enough to interfere with daily tasks, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.  

Around 7 million people live with Alzheimer’s in the U.S., with the number expected to increase in the coming years, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. 

Chivers said her grandfather’s condition has rapidly declined over the past year. 

“Within the past year, my grandfather went from kind of fully functioning to now he’s in a wheelchair,” Chivers said. “He’s able to speak, but a lot of the time he’s nonverbal.” 

Chivers said the situation has been hard for her family and especially her, as she and her grandfather are very close. She said he’s been her biggest supporter in everything she’s done.  

Chivers said he was there the first time she picked up a basketball. He was also present for her choir concerts, cheer competition and would talk with her before and after her basketball games. 

“He would always, always be there for me,” Chivers said. “I just really, really am super close to him. I am so appreciative of him.” 

Chivers’ family all live within 15 minutes from each other, which makes taking care of and spending time with her grandfather easier. 

The idea for the fundraiser came around winter break when she was reflecting on her goals and spending time with family, according to Chivers.   

“I thought this was a perfect opportunity to bring more awareness to Alzheimer’s and dementia, in general,” Chivers said. 

Since Chivers’ grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she said she’s had the opportunity to talk with teammates who also have connections with the disease, like second-year Audrey Deptula. 

Deptula’s grandmother, Judy, died two years ago while diagnosed with dementia. Deptula’s mom would travel from Wisconsin — where Deptula and her family are from — to her grandparents’ home in Georgia to ensure everything was being taken care of.

As her grandmother’s memory worsened, Deptula said the emotional toll of visiting her grandmother increased. 

“As it worsened, it was harder,” Deptula said, “Because every time I’d see her I didn’t know if it would be the last time I saw her, or if she even would remember we went to see her.” 

When Chivers made the post public, Deptula said she was really happy to see the support. 

“It’s just cool to see someone go through kind of the same thing,” Deptula said. ”Trying to help out and trying to find a cure and make sure people are getting the right support.”

The two have been discussing options to raise awareness for the disease and those impacted by it, and they’ve also been pushing for an Alzheimer’s Awareness game next season. 

Since posting about the fundraiser and her grandfather, Chivers said she’s grateful for the response she’s been getting. 

“I’ve been surrounded by so much love and support from everyone here and from social media and people donating,” Chivers said. “It just makes my heart really happy to know that people are supporting this.”