Duck Down Music CEO Dru Ha is sharing his personal story about his family being affected by Alzheimer's Disease and is reaching out for support as he runs for the cause.

Here are a few words from Dru, who has been training for the NYC Marathon in order to raise money and awareness to find a cure for the disease:

Dear friends and family,
 
As many of you know, this Sunday at 10:40 AM, I will embark on what I consider to be one of the greatest challenges of my life. I will cross the starting line on the Verrazano bridge, in Staten Island, of the NYC Marathon.  I  hope to complete my journey some-to-be-determined hours later (or at least before it gets dark) in Central Park, Manhattan.  
 
As important as this experience has become to me, I want my marathon run to have just as big an impact on others. This past January, my & Noah's father passed away due to complications from Alzheimer's after a 10-year battle with the disease. Alzheimer's is a degenerative and fatal disease of the brain, for which there is currently no cure. People who suffer from the disease slowly lose their abilities to remember, to think, to communicate and to care for themselves.  Sounds like symptoms that I could experience by the end of 26.2 miles, but I should fortunately recover. Alzheimer's patients do not.  
 
As part of my commitment to the Alzheimer's Association in the marathon, I'm proud to announce that we have raised over $12,000 in contributions.  I personally want to thank those who have donated through my personal page or purchased the "Run 2 Remember" song (by Buckshot, Smif n Wessun & Promise - produced by Double O) through iTunes, or bought one of our custom dry fit work out shirts at the duckdown.com shop.  All forms of support have helped the cause and if you haven't had the chance yet, it's certainly not too late to add on.
 
So now I'm days away from the race....I've been dedicated to my training, running over 325 miles since deciding to run in late July, and while I've battled through numerous injuries, I feel confident and prepared to go.  I will need all the encouragement I can get to keep me going, so hopefully I'll see some of you along the race route. Please cheer me on as I run, walk or crawl by.
 
Thanks again for all the support.
 
Respectfully,
 
Dru Ha

Hear more from Dru as he stops by the Tony Touch show to discuss why he is running the NYC marathon this Sunday, raising over $12K in contributions towards the Alzheimer's Research Foundation, the "Run To Remember" theme song with Buckshot, Smif N Wessun, Promise, & Double-0. 

9th Wonder, Mobb Deep, Alchemist, Eric & Jeff of ItsTheReal.com, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, & Rob Markman of MTV News also show their support & provides words of encouragement for Dru.