Why a Midland Park Family are donating their brains in honor of their Dad to Science

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Midland Park NJ, ever wonder what happens if you donate your brain to science? Whether you have a disease or disorder like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, autism, traumatic brain injuries, depression, or you have no brain disorder, human brain tissue can be used to help researchers better understand neurological conditions and potentially lead to new diagnoses, treatments, and hopefully cures and prevention.

Don Demers says the light bulb went off for him when he dove into finding out about neurological disorders after his father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease fifteen years ago. That’s when he learned that brain research is the new frontier when it comes to discovering what’s behind hundreds and hundreds of neurological diseases. After his father made arrangements to donate his brain to research, Don made the decision to donate his brain to science, too.

It’s been tough to see his father, also named Don, feel like he’s slipping. Before he retired nearly 20 years ago, he had a 35-plus-year career on Wall Street, managing money for insurance companies and banks, and digging deep into what made companies valuable to investors. His family nicknamed his dad “Do-it-all Don” because he loved tinkering with things around the house, doing any kind of handyman work including re-modeling bathrooms and kitchens. Now bedridden, he is unable to do any of the things he used to handle in the blink of an eye.

Don Jr. says he’s been changed by his dad’s illness. “It’s definitely taught me a different level of compassion in the way I approach people. It’s given me pause in certain situations to be a little more patient,” shares Don. “It’s like money – it does you no good when you’re gone. Look, we have spent so much money in this country on band-aids for neurological diseases. Now scientists are really making inroads on how the brain works and links between the brain and the stomach and bacteria — it’s like leaps and bounds. You can give someone a resource that will enable scientists to make progress toward more than a band-aid…real cures.”

Don has become a strong advocate for brain donation. He says he and his siblings and parents have all registered to donate their brains to The Brain Donor Project with the hope that future families will benefit. Don was also featured in this recent news story about brain donation. See the online article and video here.

Founded in 2016, The Brain Donor Project is a non-profit whose mission is to raise awareness of the critical need and simplify the process of brain donation. It supports the National Institutes of Health (NIH) NeuroBioBank – the only federal network of brain banks that supplies brain tissue to researchers in academia and industry around the world. As of March, of this year, more than 18,000 people have started the process to become brain donors when they die. They represent all 50 states, ages from pre-natal to 104, more than 200 categories of neurological disorders (from dementia to mental illness to autism to restless leg syndrome) and about a third are “non-diseased” or control brains.

Brain donation is critically important, now more than ever. One in five Americans suffer from a devastating neurological condition. And it’s only going to get worse as our chances of being diagnosed with a neuro disorder increase as we age. Brain donation helps neuroscientists study brain disorders, such as mental illness and dementias, and to make progress toward preventing, diagnosing, treating, and curing brain diseases. In response to this mission, the Brain Donor Project—with the support of a Congressional Resolution—has designated May 7th as National Brain Donation Awareness Day.

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