Swish Appeal - Pat Summitt signs affidavit supporting Debby Jennings' case against TennesseeBasketball is basketball.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49391/swish-fave.png2013-09-26T16:42:07-04:00http://www.swishappeal.com/rss/stream/32256032013-09-26T16:42:07-04:002013-09-26T16:42:07-04:00Debby Jennings allowed to go forward with retaliation lawsuit according to court ruling<blockquote>
<p><p>"Ms. Jennings is pleased with the court’s ruling and looks forward to her day in court," said Jennings' attorney David Burkhalter II.</p></p>
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<div class="source"><p><a href=""></a><a href="http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2013/sep/26/court-rules-debby-jennings-can-pursue-claim-of/">Knoxville News Sentinel </a></p>
<p>For more background on this ongoing development, c<a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/ncaa-womens-basketball/2012/10/5/3461562/pat-summitt-affidavit-debby-jennings-tennessee-dave-hart" target="new">heck out our storystream</a>.</p></div>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2013/9/26/4774626/debby-jennings-allowed-to-go-forward-with-retaliation-lawsuitMike Robinson2013-08-16T16:51:48-04:002013-08-16T16:51:48-04:00Jenny Moshak retires from Tennessee, walks away because of inequality concerns<blockquote>
<p><p>"Due to the overall atmosphere since I raised issues of equality at the University of Tennessee and given the university’s unwillingness to address the issues of discrimination and retaliation, I cannot continue my association with the university’s athletic department," said Jenny Moshak in a statement. "I truly love the Lady Vols," said Moshak. "I am honored to be a part of the rich tradition of Lady Vol athletics and even prouder to have supported the physical, mental and emotional development of women in sports and life."</p></p>
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<div class="source"><p><a href=""></a><a href="http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2013/aug/16/athletic-trainer-jenny-moshak-has-retired-tennesse/">Govolsxtra.com</a></p></div>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2013/8/16/4629210/jenny-moshak-retires-from-tennessee-walks-away-because-of-inequalityMike Robinson2012-10-24T18:57:27-04:002012-10-24T18:57:27-04:00"Has the Rocky Top started to crumble?"
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<p>With the SEC media picking the Kentucky Wildcats to win the conference, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.aseaofblue.com/2012/10/23/3545138/uk-hoops-picked-by-media-to-take-sec-has-rocky-top-started-to-crumble">Greg Alan Edwards of SB Nation's Kentucky </a><a target="_blank" href="http://www.aseaofblue.com/2012/10/23/3545138/uk-hoops-picked-by-media-to-take-sec-has-rocky-top-started-to-crumble">blog</a> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.aseaofblue.com/2012/10/23/3545138/uk-hoops-picked-by-media-to-take-sec-has-rocky-top-started-to-crumble">A Sea of Blue</a> wonders, "Has the Rocky Top started to crumble?"</p>
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<p>Has the landscape changed that much in Knoxville? It's truly hard to tell. The Vols have had more than their fair share of bad news in the last few years...The change from Summitt to Warlick should have been a seamless one since Warlick has been by her side for the last 28 years. Unfortunately that didn't go exactly as planned, due to the now pending lawsuit from Deborah Jennings against Tennessee and AD Dave Hart.</p>
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<p>News of top recruits Kaela Davis and Jannah Tucker (click <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2012/10/13/3496674/kaela-davis-tennessee-lady-vols-decommit">here</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2012/10/24/3549302/8-prospect-jannah-tucker-de-commits-from-tennessee">here</a>) re-opening their recruitment in the aftermath of Holly Warlick taking over for Pat Summitt certainly doesn't much to quell the notion that the program is on less than stable footing either, although both situations could turn out to be much ado about nothing in the end.</p>
<p><i>For more on Tennessee's situation, check out our storystream on the controversy since the announcement that Pat Summitt would be stepping down by using the menu bar to the right of this page. </i></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/ncaa-womens-basketball/2012/10/24/3550912/tennessee-lady-vols-program-controversyNate P2012-10-05T16:00:33-04:002012-10-05T16:00:33-04:00Pat Summitt releases statement on affidavit
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<p>A couple days after statements in her affidavit raised eyebrows, Pat Summitt releases a response to clarify that she was not "forced out" of her head coaching position by the University of Tennessee. </p> <p>In response to the outrage that has come forth since Pat Summitt's affidavit that was released, the former Tennessee Lady Vols head coach and current head coach emeritus has now released a statement (<a target="_blank" href="http://wate.images.worldnow.com/images/incoming/news/Pat-Summitt-Statement.pdf">click here</a> for full .pdf):</p>
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<p>"I did not then, and I do not now, feel that I was "forced out" by the University. Anyone who knows me knows that any such effort would have met with resistance. If my affidavit has caused confusion on that point, it needs to be dispelled. It was entirely my decision to step down from my position as Head Coach of women's basketball at the University of Tennessee."</p>
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<p>Summitt is response is a clarification of Part 5 of the affidavit, which states, "During this one-on-one meeting, Dave Hart indicated to me that I would not be coaching the Lady Vol Basketball Team in the next school year (2012-13)."</p>
<p><i>For more on this story and to read the full affidavit, visit <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2012/10/3/3451498/pat-summitt-affidavit-debby-jennings-discrimination-suit-tennessee-dave-hart/in/3225603">our storystream about Pat Summitt</a>. </i></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2012/10/5/3461420/pat-summitt-releases-statement-response-affidavitMike Robinson2012-10-03T20:10:45-04:002012-10-03T20:10:45-04:00Summitt signs affidavit supporting Debby Jennings
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<p>Pat Summitt has signed an affidavit that supports Debby Jennings' gender discrimination suit against Tennessee and Athletic Director -- Dave Hart. </p> <p>Tennessee Head Coach Emeritus, Pat Summitt has signed an <a href="http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/452632-pat-summitts-affidavit.html">affidavit</a> that supports Debby Jennings' <a href="http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/441938-complaint-filed-against-the-university-of.html">gender discrimination suit </a>against Tennessee and Athletic Director -- Dave Hart.</p>
<p>One damaging aspect of this affidavit is that, "On February 15, 2012, I had a meeting with Dave Hart. I requested the meeting to talk to Dave Hart because I heard that he wanted to discontinue using the Lady Vol logo. In that meeting, he told me he intended to place all UT women's and men's athletic teams under the 'power T' so they would be 'all Volunteers.' I was angered when he came out in an interview with the media in May 2012 and denied he ever intended to do away with the Lady Vol logo."</p>
<p>But probably the most eye-opening aspect is Part 5 which states, "On March 14, 2012, I had another meeting with Dave Hart. The meeting took place prior to our team traveling to Chicago, Ill., for the NCAA tournament. During this one-on-one meeting, Dave Hart indicated to me that I would not be coaching the Lady Vol Basketball Team in the next school year (2012-13)."</p>
<p><i>More details to come later</i></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2012/10/3/3451498/pat-summitt-affidavit-debby-jennings-discrimination-suit-tennessee-dave-hartMike Robinson2012-05-25T08:01:20-04:002012-05-25T08:01:20-04:00UT athletic dept. restructuring brings controversy
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<p>It's not every day that college media relations folks make the news, particularly not when they are departing from their post. But when that media relations person was the associate athletics director and a main mouthpiece for the Tennessee Lady Vols athletics department, you've got news.</p>
<p>Debby Jennings, who worked at Tennessee for the last 35 years, was forced out of her position last week and is now considering legal action. In <a href="http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2012/may/23/lawyer-details-debby-jennings-departure-from-ut/?partner=popular" target="_blank">recently released statements and interdepartmental communications</a>, it was revealed that she was asked to resign near the end of 2011 and later was unceremoniously relieved of her duties due to "insubordination" last week. The claim put forth is that this personnel change could be in part due to Jennings' stance that UT was practicing gender and age discrimination of late.</p>
<p>The Vice Chancellor of the university, Dave Hart, <a href="http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2012/may/24/dave-hart-says-debby-jennings-fostered-an-of-and/" target="_blank">issued a ... strongly worded ... statement</a> in response to the recent news stories, along with other excerpts from Jennings' personnel files to support his claims:</p>
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<p>"Although I do not normally comment on personnel decisions, given the nature and volume of inaccurate information that has been disseminated from those around Debby Jennings, I believe it is necessary to set the record straight. I lost confidence that her employment was in the best interests of the Athletics Department. Specifically, I concluded that she was insubordinate, disrespectful and fostered an atmosphere of negativity and division.</p>
<p>"Based on her years of service, she was eligible for full retirement from the University, including medical benefits. I gave her the opportunity to retire instead of being terminated, and she chose that option. I will have no additional comment at this time, and I wish Debby well in her future endeavors."</p>
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<p>It appears that at least a segment of the public sides with Jennings, as a <a href="http://www.change.org/petitions/help-save-women-s-athletics-at-the-university-of-tennessee-and-preserve-pat-summitt-s-legacy" target="_blank">petition has begun circulation</a> on change.org in response not only to her firing, but also the restructuring of the Tennessee athletic department on the whole. UT's previously separate men's and women's athletic departments are <a href="http://www.utsports.com/genrel/041612aad.html" target="_blank">in the midst of being combined</a>, primarily for budgetary and unification reasons. However, the petition suggests that Jennings' claims of gender discrimination might have some backbone:</p>
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<p>A review of the Executive Staff shows that 3 out of 8 personnel choices were people who had previously worked in the Women’s Athletic Department. However, a review of the Senior Administrative Staff shows that only 3 out of 15 personnel choices were from people who had previously worked in the Women’s Athletic Department.</p>
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<p>Considering the depth and breadth of success that the Lady Vols have enjoyed, coupled with the tarnish that the men's programs have cast on the university in the recent past, one might imagine that the women's higher ups might be retained at a higher rate. Time will tell if Jennings' claim is viable or if the department does indeed harbor biases, but in the meantime this story is vastly different than the press conference and send off that Pat Summitt received not so long ago.</p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2012/5/25/3042586/tennessee-athletic-department-controversy-debby-jenningsJessica Lantz2012-04-18T14:20:34-04:002012-04-18T14:20:34-04:00Pat Summitt steps down as Tennessee head coach
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<p>After 1,098 career victories and eight national titles, Pat Summitt has stepped down as head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols.</p>
<p>Summitt, who began her career at the helm of the Lady Vols program in 1974 turns over the reigns to her long-time assistant <a href="http://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/warlick_holly00.html" target="_blank">Holly Warlick</a>. A former Tennessee point guard under Summitt, Warlick has been on the coaching staff for the past 27 seasons. She saw her coaching role grow exponentially last year after the news broke that Summitt had been diagnosed with early onset dementia. This move comes less than eight months after the initial diagnosis was revealed.</p>
<p>"I feel like Holly's been doing the bulk of it,'' <a href="http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2012/apr/18/pat-summitt-steps-down/" target="_blank">Summitt said to Go Vols Xtra</a>. "She deserves to be the head coach. I'm going to support her. No doubt, I'll be there for her."</p>
<p>Summitt is not leaving the program entirely, however, as Tennessee has created a new title and position for her - Coach Emeritus. An outline for her new role has been created, but of major importance will still be the ability to go to practices, talk to players and participate in recruiting.</p>
<p>"I feel really good about my decision," Summitt said. "I think this is going to be a win-win situation for everybody. Holly and I will work really well together."</p>
<p>Even though the writing was perhaps on the wall prior to this point, the announcement of this move has left many in the basketball world shocked and saddened to see the legend begin her exit from the game. Her presence on the sidelines will be sorely missed in Tennessee. Summitt made herself a station in the world not only of women's basketball, but of amateur basketball as a whole. I wish her well in her new role with the team and in the struggles that are sure to come with her health.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.utsports.com/genrel/041812aaa.html" target="_blank">Official release from the University of Tennessee</a></p>
<p><b>Reactions:</b></p>
<p>"Pat is one of those rare individuals whose influence crosses all boundary lines. Literally thousands of coaches in a vast array of sports abide by her tenets, passing them on as gospel to their players. Her name is synonymous with the sport of women's basketball, and yet I believe it is her leadership style--her way of achieving, if you will, that will be her most dominant legacy. "On a personal level, I feel unbelievably blessed to have had the opportunity to compete against her. I, and an entire generation of women's basketball coaches, will always be indebted to her for the culture of excellence she helped to create in our sport. It is on the foundation of relevance that her success helped carve that we and others like us have built our programs." - <a href="http://tmi.me/ozyr4" target="_blank">Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale</a></p>
<p>Very best to pat summitt....thank you for being a legend in every sense of the word. Congratulations to holly as well. Best from all at dwb - <a href="http://twitter.com/CoachPDuke/status/192684265845166082" target="_blank">Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie</a>, on Twitter</p>
<p>The legend that paved the way for all of us. Thank you Coach Summitt, so glad I got to meet you in Denver. #respect - <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/CoachCal21/status/192685286885568512" target="_blank">Clemson coach Jayme Callahan</a>, on Twitter</p>
<p>"Pat's vision for the game of women's basketball and her relentless drive pushed the game to a new level and made it possible for the rest of us to accomplish what we did. In her new role, I'm sure she will continue to make significant impacts on the University of Tennessee and to the game of women's basketball as a whole.</p>
<p>I am thrilled for Holly as this opportunity is well deserved and Pat will be a huge asset to her moving forward." - Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma, in a statement released to the media</p>
<p>4 yrs removed from UT I still hear "PARKER REBOUND!" in my head during games...Thanks Coach Pat, I love you! #OnceALadyVolAlwaysALadyVol - <a href="http://twitter.com/Candace_Parker/status/192691652379418624" target="_blank">Former Tennessee and current LA Sparks star Candace Parker</a>, on Twitter</p>
<p>"Pat Summitt's legacy continues through her players in the @WNBA. Thank you for inspiring and challenging the next generation of leaders to become as great as you. The sidelines will miss you Pat!" - <a href="http://twitter.com/IndianaFever/status/192697626624405505" target="_blank">Indiana Fever GM Kelly Krauskopf</a>, on Twitter</p>
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<p><b>Related links:</b></p>
<p><a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/8/23/2379710/breaking-tennessee-lady-vols-icon-pat-summitt-diagnosed-with-dementia" target="_blank">From Aug. 23, 2011 - Pat Summitt Diagnosed With Dementia</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/8/24/2382446/pat-summitt-alzheimers-disease-diagnosis-tennessee-lady-vols" target="_blank">Nate's personal reaction to the initial diagnosis</a></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2012/4/18/2957834/breaking-pat-summitt-steps-down-as-head-coach-holly-warlick-takingJessica Lantz2011-08-24T19:00:48-04:002011-08-24T19:00:48-04:00Links: Pat Summitt's Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis
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<p>A few links about Pat Summitt's Alzheimer's disease diagnosis that come highly recommended from someone whose family has direct experience with the disease.</p> <p>When I first learned about the sad news that Tennessee Lady Vols coach<a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/8/23/2379710/breaking-tennessee-lady-vols-icon-pat-summitt-diagnosed-with-dementia" target="_blank"> Pat Summitt had been diagnosed with early onset dementia</a>, I was at a stop light after speeding to pick up my father from the local Alzheimer's center we take him to three days a week.</p>
<p>Like ready-to-go-<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMQE8qtbnbw&feature=related" target="_blank">Dave-Chappelle-on-a-copper</a> type speeding.</p>
<p>Occasionally Dad gets in these trances where he wanders aimlessly looking for something yet not quite knowing what he's looking for. While it is somewhat comforting to know that 7 in 10 Alzheimer's patients exhibit the same behavior - meaning it could be considered "normal" in the warped universe of this disease - it gets dangerous when he's wandering around a busy place, like Downtown Berkeley.</p>
<p>We got a call about an hour after I dropped him off in the morning to say that Dad had walked out of the center and was "not re-directable" (social work code for "downright belligerent"). Thankfully, by the time I got to the center, Dad had already been "redirected" to the center and I just had to walk in and pick him up. But I was standing there chuckling to myself as they were helping him go to the bathroom because he was walking around cheerfully as though nothing had happened.</p>
<p>Of course, in his world, nothing really had happened about 30 minutes ago anyway.</p>
<p>"Hey, how are you?" he greeted me, extending his hand with some glimmer that he recognized that I was that man who drove him places (he once asked, "How long have you had this job?" "Oh, I don't know, a few months," I responded").</p>
<p>So my heart sank almost immediately when I got the text about Summitt's situation halfway to the center - and remained heavy for most of the day - not only because I wouldn't wish Alzheimer's on the families of my worst enemies, but also because it was a reminder that I never expected to be speeding down the freeway to pick up a zoned out Dad putting himself in harm's way when we first learned of his early onset diagnosis about a decade ago at about the same age Summitt is now.</p>
<p>I told the Swish Appeal staff during the NCAA women's Final Four that I would be leaving Seattle to return home to the Bay Area to help out with Dad, which has had an impact on how things around here have run. But honestly I consider it a great privilege to be in a situation where my family is able to rally together to help deal with this daily emotional roller coaster together - I cannot fathom what it's like for people who don't have the luxury of that type of support network and it's great to know that Summitt will have tons of support. But the hardest thing about all of this, support or not, is that every day is completely unpredictable, which compounds the reality that the path forward is even more uncertain.</p>
<p>I hesitated to even write this in the wake of Summitt's sad news because it's not really about me and I fully understand that it's different for each person, particularly as I've learned more about the disease and seen other people who are dealing with it; it's about what her and her family - real and Lady Vols - face as they try to get through this together. Nevertheless, this is the lens through which I read this news, both very literally at that moment and more abstractly; it's hard to truly express the wave of empathy that came over me when I heard about this or anyone who has just been diagnosed at such a young age.</p>
<p>But to be quite honest, some of the coverage of the situation - as with any situation - drew out an almost hostile response from me (this, for people that know me, is not difficult to do, by the way), partially because of my own sense of how hard this situation is and in part because of the way this has been framed in the context of her career.</p>
<p>On the other hand, some of the coverage has resonated quite deeply, illustrating almost perfectly what I perceived my Dad to be going through at the beginning and the difficulty of trying to navigate such an unknown situation as a family. So here's a few of those links that come highly recommended from this basketball blogger's point of view.</p>
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<li> <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/pat-summitt-tennessee-womens-basketball-coach-diagnosed-with-alzheimers-disease/2011/08/23/gIQADEuDZJ_story.html" target="_blank">Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post </a>wrote the story the resonated with me the most. And it's the emotions of that initial stage that really stand out. "I just felt something was different," Summitt said in the article. "And at the time I didn’t know what I was dealing with."</li>
<li> <a href="http://www.alz.org/index.asp" target="_blank">The Alzheimer's Association</a> sent out an email with the news which my mom passed on to our extended family to "salute the courage of Coach Pat Summitt in sharing her diagnosis" and I think that's a great response to her announcement, particularly in light of the feelings she shared with Jenkins. </li>
<li>The Alzheimer's Association also offers further information about dealing with <a href="http://www.alz.org/professionals_and_researchers_early_onset.asp" target="_blank">younger-onset issues </a>among their links that's worth looking at. As the years pass, their point about children feeling "fear and grief at the gradual losses the parent experiences" is something that I think we've all dealt with in different ways.</li>
<li> <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/08/24/139912324/when-forgetfulness-needs-medical-attention?ps=cprs" target="_blank">Eliza Barclay of NPR's Health Blog did a Q&A</a> with <a href="http://www.bu.edu/alzresearch/team/faculty/stern.html">Robert Stern</a>, director of the Alzheimer's Disease Center Clinical Core at Boston University, that provides some insight about the difference between dementia and Alzheimer's as well as some of the risk factors. <br> </li>
<li> <a href="http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-alzheimers-diagnosis-20110824,0,3064186.story" target="_blank">Shari Roan of the Los Angeles Times </a>illustrates the silver lining of Summitt's decision to make a public announcement about this with a season ahead of her that echoed the sentiment of my mom's first reaction: Pat Summitt getting Alzheimer's will bring more attention to the fact that this is a serious problem that demands more funding for research, more effort to level the playing field of unequal treatment, and more scrutiny on what type of care or health system does (and doesn't) support. Roan focuses on the need to find more reliable pre-symptom tests.</li>
<li> <a href="http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2011/aug/24/peyton-manning-statement-on-pat-summitt/" target="_blank">Indianapolis Colts and former Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning</a> released a statement in support of Summitt, which further underscores the point that this will bring attention to the disease well beyond the women's basketball community.<br> </li>
<li>Of course SB Nation's Rocky Top Talk is discussing the issue and <a href="http://www.rockytoptalk.com/2011/8/23/2379715/pat-summitt-diagnosed-with-early-onset-dementia-will-coach-lady-vols" target="_blank">the comments on their initial post</a> highlight another point that makes this so difficult - for someone that just coached a team to an Elite Eight appearance, there was really no way to have guessed at something like this being an issue. </li>
<li> <a href="http://www.rockytoptalk.com/2011/8/23/2380301/what-dares-to-put-a-timeline-on-coach-pat-summitt" target="_blank">Chris Pendley of Rocky Top Talk</a> later wrote that, "Coach Summitt is our coach. She defines what this university is, what it stands for, where it came from, and where it's going" and injects a dose of levity into a harsh reality by closing with, "...dementia may end up winning in the end. But it's going to spend years on the wrong end of The Stare first, and with a legion of supporters giving it the stink-eye. I wouldn't want to be in its shoes."</li>
<li>Back in May, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/02/larry-kings-alzheimers-sp_n_856231.html" target="_blank">Larry King did an Alzheimer's special on CNN</a> that <a href="http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/2011/05/larry-king-alzheimers-special-grand.html" target="_blank">Bob DeMarco of the Alzheimer's Reading Room</a> called, "A Grand Slam Home Run" and I agree. My family and I watched this (twice) when it first aired and although I think each of us had different reactions to it, it did an outstanding job portraying real life and very touching experiences with Alzheimer's. <a href="http://inthearena.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/26/king-on-alzheimers-long-way-to-go/" target="_blank">King provided some background</a> about why he took on this cause in an interview prior to its first airing that is also well-worth watching.<br><br>But the best part of that special was near the end where one of the twins noted that there are moments of laughter or signs of their "true" personality that you come cherish more by the day. In a way, you sort of draw strength from those in knowing that Alzheimer's can never take away one's humanity even if, as Pendley said, it ends up winning in the end. </li>
<p>As someone whose father is the primary source of my passion for basketball and thus indirectly the reason for the words that appear on this site, those favorite moments for me - and this happened during the NBA Playoffs - are when Dad blurts out something like, "What was he doing?" or "Great play" which at the very least lets me know that the person I grew up admiring is still there.</p>
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https://www.swishappeal.com/2011/8/24/2382446/pat-summitt-alzheimers-disease-diagnosis-tennessee-lady-volsNate P