When Karen Sandone‘s husband Anthony was diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer’s at 55, she had no roadmap. Just a two-year fight to even get the diagnosis, and a disease that would quietly dismantle the life they’d built together.

Now, the Doylestown resident is being recognized for turning that hardship into a lifeline for others, reports Stephanie Stahl for CBS Philadelphia.

The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement at Cleveland Clinic recently named Sandone its Caregiver of the Year, a title that follows her recognition as Citizen of the Week by The Philadelphia Citizen. Both honors reflect the community she’s built around one of caregiving’s loneliest experiences.

Anthony, now 58, is in a severe stage of the disease. The family recently sold their home to help cover the cost of his care.

Through it all, Sandone has continued showing up for her family, and for the growing number of caregivers navigating similar circumstances.

A former Eagles cheerleader and captain in the early 1990s, Sandone says the discipline and resilience that came with that role have carried her through caregiving in unexpected ways.

She’s channeled that same drive into her podcast, Surviving the Now, and a social media outreach effort that has quietly grown into a community for families confronting Alzheimer’s.

“I obviously did not get into this to win awards,” Sandone said. “However, the responses that I received from the individuals that participated made me really confirm why I’m doing this. I’m helping others.”

Younger-onset Alzheimer’s (a diagnosis before age 65) affects a growing number of people, leaving caregivers without the support systems designed for older patients and their families.

Sandone’s goal is simple: make sure no one faces it alone.

Learn more about Karen Sandone and the local advocate’s recent honors in CBS Philadelphia.

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