Off The Beaten Path

Not related to Genealogy but might be of
interest.

What Is The Longest Word In The Dictionary?
It depends...
it might be 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious'
(which appears in the Oxford English Dictionary),
unless you want to count names of diseases
(such as 'pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis',
 defined by the OED as "a factitious word alleged to
mean 'a lung disease caused by the inhalation of
very fine silica dust' but occurring chiefly as an instance of a very long word")
places (such as 'Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch',
a village in Wales; see the Web site,
which has an audio pronunciation of the word),
chemical compounds
(apparently there is one that is 1,913 letters long),
and also a few words found only in Joyce's Finnegans Wake

Alzheimers disease
         A progressive, neurodegenerative disease characterized by loss of function and death of nerve cells in several areas of the brain,

 leading to loss of mental functions such as memory and learning.
Alzheimers disease is the most common cause of dementia. 
My grandfather Arthur Mee had what was called Dementia
Senility but today we know more about this debilitating
disease called Alzheimers. 
In my grandfathers time, often
these relatives were hidden 
from sight or hospitalized until the end of their days.
Today, we are learning more about Alzheimers
 and fighting the disease with research.
As an amateur genealogist,
I come across many physical diseases 
that took valuable family members 
from their families before their time.
 It is important that we not only
seek out our ancestors for personal knowledge
 but that we learn from history
 and try to apply that awareness to the world we live in. 
My best friend is now dealing
 with a parent with Alzheimers Disease. 
It is difficult to watch the struggle
she faces in dealing with the changes in her
 role as child to now a parent to a parent. 
I wonder if one day I will be looking at that with my own parent.
 This disease knows no boundaries.
    We just have to look at Regan,
the ex president of United States
 to know that money and fame 
cannot prevent the disease from attacking the people we love. 
The only way to combat disease 
is information and we need to fund the necessary research. 
Research costs money and we can all help contribute. 
Contact Your Local Alzheimers Association
The Alzheimers Association, 
a national network of chapters,
 is the largest national voluntary health organization 
committed to finding a cure for Alzheimers 
and helping those affected by the disease.

Betty's Place...Life After MS

MISSION STATEMENT
To help all people with Multiple Sclerosis
believe that they need not be a victim of MS,
but rather that they can be
a victor;that they can be "enabled"by their MS rather
than "disabled,"and that the choice is up to them.
Offers an alternative look at fighting Multiple Sclerosis
and will email you free of charge her newsletter
 discussing different means of coping with MS.;
Take a peek at her site.
Very informative and written for the lay person.
Betty Iams House

A more traditional look at Multiple Sclerosis 

Force :Facing Our Risks Cancer Enpowered
Great Information Site 
for those who have risk factors for breast/ovarian Cancer
or wish information to support those who are fighting cancer