Interview with the University of North Carolina freshman Akum Dhillon, who has made fight against Alzheimer’s a personal mission.
Akum Dhillon is a goalkeeper! He loves the idea of being the last line of defense. When it comes down to the wire, the goalkeeper is the most important player on the pitch. They can see everything happening and are special.
Dhillon, 18, is indeed special, not just for having the weight of his soccer team on his shoulders when on the field. It is also because he has taken the weight of an all-important cause on his shoulders. An incoming freshman at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, he was born in Las Vegas and grew up in Richmond, Virginia, where he attended the Collegiate School. He has long held an interest in Alzheimer’s advocacy and research. Stemming from his experiences watching his paternal grandmother cope with Alzheimer’s for seven years in his own home, he realized that the effects Alzheimer’s has on the patient and family are experiences that no family should ever have to go through.
The Indian American has decided to pursue a career in medicine in hopes of finding the cure for Alzheimer’s. In the past three years, he has raised thousands of dollars for Alzheimer’s research through his “3v3 for Alz” soccer tournaments. He has been invited to speak by the Alzheimer’s Association at various events such as the Reason to Hope charity event and is an active member of The Longest Day Committee, and been a spokesperson in recruitment videos for other Alzheimer’s Association fundraisers.
American Bazaar Contributing Editor Venky Raghavendra interviewed Dhillon against the backdrop of the annual Longest Day activities for Alzheimer’s awareness and Akum’s leadership role in the effort.
Venky Raghavendra: What was the motivation for you to get interested in this issue and how did it all start?
Akum Dhillon: I first came across Alzheimer’s when my family and I cared for my grandmother. In the latter stages of her life, I didn’t comprehend what was happening and what Alzheimer’s was. I was under the assumption that all elderly people lost their memory eventually and that it was a common phenomenon. When she finally passed away, I saw my father cry for the first time, and I realized that her situation was not normal. People forgetting how to talk, how to walk, how to use the bathroom, who their family was, who they were, and at the end, how to breathe, was not normal. So, in my sophomore year, I reached out to my local chapter of the American Alzheimer’s Association and asked how I could help. I didn’t want to wait twenty years before I became a practicing doctor before I could make a difference. I wanted to do something now.
Tell us about the upcoming Longest Day of the year and its connection to fight Alzheimer’s.
The idea behind The Longest Day is that the summer solstice, also known as the day of the year with the most sunlight, is the longest day that Alzheimer’s caregivers have to care for their loved ones. It is the hardest day of the year for millions of caregivers around the world. Thus, the motto of The Longest Day is: The day with the most light is the day we fight.
What kind of support have you received from those around you including family, friends and the community?
My family has been extremely supportive of my endeavors and has helped connect me with various people who could help me promote and sponsor my fundraisers. The reaction from my friends and community has been equally amazing. It wasn’t until after I started fundraising when I learned that countless other families that I knew dealt with Alzheimer’s themselves and to them, I was a beacon of hope and a place where they could do their part to donate money for Alzheimer’s research. It was much easier on their part to donate to the fundraiser of someone they knew and interacted with than to a generic donation collection site. Having a personal connection with the fundraiser helped spread the word of my mission across my town and state.
What are your upcoming plans – both in your current academic life and around the movement that you are working to build related this issue?
In college, I am planning to major in neuroscience and global studies with a minor in finance while on the premed track. I have known for years that I intend to become a doctor to find a cure for Alzheimer’s and that is where my focus currently lies. Right now, in the midst of the Covid-19 outbreak and the inability for me to conduct my soccer tournaments, I have moved my efforts virtually. Through my Instagram account, I have started to promote video game fundraisers that people can partake in from their own homes while social distancing. Players could make teams in the respective game with a $5 registration fee per player and play to win a prize from the Alzheimer’s Association. While everyone is stuck home, social media and the gaming industry have experienced a boom in activity, thus, I have done my best to take advantage of the current situation.
You have embarked on something impactful and meaningful at a very early stage in your life. What kind of change do you wish to see in the next decade or two related to this issue?
Currently, Alzheimer’s is the most deadly disease in the US without a cure, and even so, it is surprising how many people I come across that are unaware of Alzheimer’s and its effects. The first big change I want to see is more awareness of the disease and more young people like me doing the action to try and end the disease once and for all. The second thing I want to see is increased government spending on research not just for Alzheimer’s, but all other medical research as well. If the US spent even a fraction of what it spent on other endeavors on medical research, then a large number of infectious diseases and other diseases like Alzheimer’s could be cured sooner rather than later, allowing fewer people to suffer.
A recent UN report indicates that the global population of those aged 60 and above is rapidly rising. It is already close to a billion people and can reach as much as 2.1 billion by 2050. What is your message to young people as to how they should look at this demographic shift?
Young people should look to the changing demographic as a sign that it is our turn to bring about meaningful change to our world. It is up to us to usher in a new age of innovation and exploration of the unknown. We need to start taking the lead in organizations like the Alzheimer’s Association and get more people to join us in fighting these awful diseases to allow our loved ones to keep their memories. It is up to us to save our mentors and to create a future where we do not have to worry about losing our memory and our children will not have to worry about us losing our memory. The time has come for us to take action and for our voices to be heard and for our actions to be seen.
I can’t let you go without 2 quick soccer questions knowing your passion for the sport. Ronaldo or Messi – why? And any other soccer hero?
While both are two of the greatest to have ever played, I’ve always been a fan of Messi. The way he can glide past defenders and play the perfect pass to his teammates is inspiring to watch. Literal magic. .
However, I would say my hero is more so the Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. He emulates the type of person I want to be. He exerts a different level of “class” that you cannot find anywhere else. He commands the respect of the room he is in and is a calm, collected, articulate, and powerful leader who does anything in his power to help the team succeed.