The SC Alzheimer’s Association and The National Health Council are teaming up for a very important press event Thursday morning at 10 a.m. in the Camellia Room of the Clarion Hotel in Columbia. The event is centered around the personal stories of three brave midlands families who have and continue to suffer from chronic disease and disability.

But this is more than just an opportunity for members of the press to shed light on a serious issue, it’s a chance for all of us to meet the faces behind this crisis. And I encourage any of our readers who can attend to do so.

Speaking at the event will be Mrs. B.J. Welborn, who will tell her personal story on surviving leukemia; Mr. Michael Burgess, who will tell his personal story on Alzheimer’s, and Mr. Richard Outz with his personal story on living with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).

According to the SC Alzheimer’s Association and The National Health Council, more than 100 million Americans have a chronic disease or disability.