Alzheimer's Activist, Carrie Richardson, Joins NuStep as a Brand Ambassador

Mother of Three with Early Onset Alzheimer's Diagnosis Advocates for Alzheimer's Research

News provided by

Dec 04, 2015, 02:05 ET

L to R: Dr. Cynthia Green, one of America's foremost experts on brain health and president of Total Brain Health; Steve Sarns, vice president of sales and marketing at NuStep, Inc., and Carrie Richardson, Alzheimer's advocate and NuStep ambassador, promoted The Longest Day 2016 event at a recent conference in New Orleans.

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Dec. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- When Carrie Richardson learned in 2012 that she had a 99.9% chance of developing a rare, inherited form of early onset Alzheimer's by age 36 – the same disease that had killed her father, uncles and grandmother in their early 40's – the 31 year old was consumed with grief and fear.

As she adjusted to her uncertain future, Richardson, a single mother of three from Montgomery, Alabama, decided to face her fears and turn her heartache into a quest for hope. The soft-spoken pre-school teacher found her voice and today she is a committed activist determined to raise awareness about the disease and advocate for more federal funding for Alzheimer's.

Now 34 and asymptomatic, Richardson's mission has been galvanized by the desire to remain strong for her children, ages 14, 13 and 9, and never let them see her give up hope. Her mission has taken on greater poignancy as her brother, who has the same gene mutation that causes early onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD), slips into the early stages of Alzheimer's. He is 36.

Richardson's story and advocacy work recently caught the attention of Steve Sarns, vice president of sales and marketing at NuStep, Inc., a manufacturer of inclusive exercise equipment and a global team partner with the Alzheimer's Association for The Longest Day.

Sarns, a long-time board member of the Michigan Great Lakes Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, was introduced to Richardson this fall by another NuStep ambassador, Nikki Dodson, whose husband, Ken, has EOAD. After meeting Richardson, Sarns invited her to serve as a NuStep ambassador.

"Carrie's strength and resilience in the face of her devastating diagnosis, and the uncertainty that it brings, is remarkable. She has chosen to use what time she has to step into the role of an advocate for Alzheimer's and we're proud to give her a platform," says Sarns.

About NuStep, Inc.
NuStep, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells its line of inclusive recumbent cross trainers from Ann Arbor, Michigan. NuStep's T4r, T5 and T5^XR models empower users of virtually all ability and age levels to engage in exercise that promotes strength and independence and improves health outcomes. For more information about NuStep call 800-322-2209 or visit www.NuStep.com.

Photo- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151203/293147

SOURCE NuStep, Inc.