A Community Comes Together Around Primary Progressive Aphasia

As President and CEO of the Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce, Chad Amond’s job is to grow and support businesses in the community. And those businesses and residents of the county are turning around and supporting the Amond family as they navigate life with primary progressive aphasia.

Learning About Primary Progressive Aphasia

The local newspaper gave us the first glimpse into the Amond family’s story. After searching for answers for months, a neurologist delivered the diagnosis last spring—primary progressive aphasia.

Family and friends call him the heart and soul of the county, as he spends long hours at breakfasts, dinners, and business meetings. He speaks at about 128 events a year to promote the region, where he grew up in Derry Township. He has been, unabashedly front and center, one of the county’s loudest cheerleaders. And words always came easy … That skill has suddenly vanished.

The Amonds are facing the disease as a family, but they’re also facing the disease with a lot of support around them.

A Community Comes Together

Chad is applying years of communication experience to educate the community about primary progressive aphasia. Last weekend, over 400 people came together for a mini-golf tournament to raise money for the NAA and raise awareness about PPA.

“I can’t thank my family, friends, colleagues, business owners, and all of the people (more than 400+) that went to the mini-golf outing and served the grant to NAA. I always say, ‘it’s not about me.’ It’s such a rare diagnosis. I want to make sure people know about it, and it will be cured as soon as possible,” Amond says.

His ultimate goal is a cure, and he’s currently seeking clinical trials that could provide a cure not only for himself but for others experiencing PPA.

In the meantime, he continues to work to support the community that is supporting him. He tells us, “I want to work as long as I can to positively impact Southwestern Pennsylvania, Westmoreland County, businesses in our community, the Chamber, my family, and all of my friends.”