NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Every couple weeks, a man is coming up to Nashville. The way he's volunteering might eventually change a whole lot of lives. His story is one-of-a-kind in the southeast.
"You really like the Beatles most of all, don't you?" Brian Dewey asked son Evan.
"Yeah!"
"Who's your favorite Beatle?"
"John Lennon!"
It was during another trip to Nashville from their home in Atlanta that I caught the two.
"Which of you guys has the better taste in music?" I asked.
"This guy right here!" Evan laughed.
Here's why I asked that. On those rides to Nashville, the guys are often talking music.
"Tommy James and the Shondelles!" Brian said.
"Tommy James and the Shondells! They started in the 60s," Evan nodded. "Paul Revere & the Raiders!"
"We were just talking about Peter and Gordon," Brian continued.
"It was a very popular band in the 60s," Evan said. "They were from London, England."
You should know something about these long conversations about music. This is what the two talk about as they're headed to the Vanderbilt Center for Cognitive Medicine.
"Well, it is important because it helps people with mental disabilities," Evan said.
Evan has down syndrome.
Evan's mom is an occupational therapist and found out about a clinical trial. To talk about the details of that, I checked in with Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Dr. Jo Ellen Wilson.
"Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of death in individuals with down syndrome after age 35," she explained. "Evan is participating in the ABATE clinical trial to receive the study drug which is a vaccine against amyloid. He's participating in cognitive assessments, behavioral assessments, PET scans, MRIs of his brain. ABATE is looking to see if we can find effective preventative and therapeutic interventions to reduce someone's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease if they have down syndrome."
I didn't get the chance to ask Evan something that would be a great question for a guy who's into music. Has there been a song named Trailblazer? Big names Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, and Lainey Wilson did one just last year. It's the name of a few albums. Trailblazer is also a title that fits Evan.
"He's a trailblazer," Wilson nodded. "Evan is currently the only participant at Vanderbilt. He is the first participant with down syndrome in the entire southeast to participate in an Alzheimer's disease clinical trial."
"Yes, that's cool, y'know," Evan said.
"We hope our participation in this study will help to slow the onset of Alzheimer's, not only in the down syndrome population but the population in general," Brian added.
Brian and Evan will continue their trips from Atlanta to Vanderbilt Health for the next 12 to 15 months. They'll be talking good music while hoping to do good.
"You're listening to a lot of stuff from before your time, Evan," I told him.
"Yeah, I love it!"
"It's going to take studies such as this one and participants like Evan to help us find a cure," Wilson said.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
It's has been a dry spring for us. Nashville is over 6 inches below normal for rainfall for the year with Clarksville over a 9 inches deficit. Kim Rafferty went to a nursery to get a couple of tips that may be useful for you.
- Lelan Statom
