KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., Aug. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) announced Monday that the Milburn Foundation, a private charitable organization, provided a $25,000 challenge match for their "Empowered Together to #EndFTD" campaign. The campaign more than doubled its goal, securing the match and raising $75,000 to support AFTD's mission to improve the quality of life of people affected by frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and driving research to a cure. 

"We are deeply grateful to the Milburn Foundation for their support of AFTD's mission and this campaign," said AFTD CEO Susan Dickinson. "These funds will directly support families and individuals facing a diagnosis, and will help educate healthcare professionals and policymakers so that we can develop earlier and more accurate diagnosis and better care services." 

The Milburn Foundation is a private foundation that structures strategic partnerships with public charities to drive philanthropic innovation for both Frontotemporal Degeneration and Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

"Families facing FTD, much like families facing breast cancer, urgently need access to viable treatments and a cure," said Milburn Foundation CEO Bryon Davis. "Our gift to AFTD embodies our commitment to true partnership and collaboration in the field of disease research. The Milburn Foundation shares AFTD's mission to hasten a future without FTD, and we hope these funds can contribute to the FTD-free world sought by both our organizations."

AFTD works every day to empower the FTD community by supporting persons diagnosed, care partners, and families at every stage of the FTD journey, and taking action to educate others, advance research, and raise vital awareness.

The campaign featured six personal stories from the FTD community, including caregivers and family members, across print and digital channels.

Channing Clifford, who has a popular TikTok channel where she connects with families on the FTD journey, was featured in the campaign. "Any time I have knowledge of what to do next, it's because of AFTD. It's empowering to know that this organization not only offers support for the tough parts of this diagnosis, but also communicates with people affected," she said. 

FTD is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes the gradual breakdown of nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. The progression of the disease can lead to significant disability over time, including extreme changes in personality, behavior, language, and motor skills that can impact daily functioning and require around-the-clock care and support. FTD typically strikes individuals between the ages of 40 and 65, but it can also occur in both older and younger individuals.

On average, it takes nearly four years for a person to receive an accurate FTD diagnosis as symptoms are often misdiagnosed as a psychiatric condition, Alzheimer's disease, or Parkinson's disease. This delay is often due to the medical community's lack of familiarity with FTD. Delays in diagnosis can also cause devastating financial hardships for families, with the economic burden of FTD being almost twice that of Alzheimer's disease, as individuals impacted are often compelled to leave the workforce during peak earning years.

To learn more about AFTD and its work, go to https://www.theaftd.org/.

About AFTD

AFTD is the leading organization focused on helping people and families impacted by FTD, and driving research for a cure. Our organization is committed to facilitating and funding FTD-focused research that can hold the key to ensuring more accurate diagnosis, prevention, treatments, and a cure, with implications for other forms of dementia and related neurodegenerative diseases. 

About the Milburn Foundation

The Milburn Foundation, an award-winning philanthropic partner to public charities, funds critical disease research and creates grant agreements to unite organizations with shared causes. Since 2007, we've catalyzed collaboration among research institutions, public charities, and patient advocates to explore, publish, and validate solutions to persistent research challenges. Additionally, we've helped raise millions of dollars through innovative fundraising approaches, such as challenge-matching grants.

Contacts:
Cristian Salazar
The Lead PR
929-584-8731 or cristian@theleadpr.com

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SOURCE The Association For Frontotemporal Degeneration