Speech at the “Walk to End Alzheimer’s” event on 10/29/16 delivered by Bill Courtney:

Hi.  My name is Bill Courtney and I’m the acting captain of Team Drasa.  Team Drasa is a large and well-organized crew.  We are the third-highest fund-raising team at this walk.

Yet, only two of our team are here this year.  Why?

Because the rest of our team is searching for our muse and inspiration, Nancy Paulikas, our Alzheimer’s patient, who wandered off two Saturdays ago from the LA County Museum of Art in mid-Wilshire and has not been seen since.

You may have seen the flyers about Nancy at the registration tables or elsewhere.  If you do not have a paper flyer, please take a photo of one and capture Nancy’s picture and the Team’s contact info.  The picture is a very good likeness of Nancy.

Our search is using every method we know of:

•         We are coordinating with police and fire departments
•         Hospitals and shelters are called daily to check for Jane Does
•         Flyers have been posted in a widening circle out from the LA County Museum of Art
•         Business surveillance videos are being reviewed
•         Businesses have alerted their employees and security staffs to be on the lookout
•         Every Uber driver in LA County as her picture and info
•         FedEx and UPS have been given flyers
•         Professional search experts have been hired
•         TV Interviews and Newspaper Ads

Still, we have no useful leads.

I am asking you to keep your eyes peeled for Nancy, especially if you are in the Downtown-Mid-Wilshire – Santa Monica corridor.

But, I am speaking to you today, not just on Nancy’s behalf.  At present, we can expect that approximately 60% of all Alzheimer’s patients will wander.  If you are a caregiver or in a support circle, it can happen to you.

You can go to the “wandering” page of the Alzheimer’s Association website.  There, you can learn what to do – and what not to do – to prevent wandering.  You can learn ahead of time how to maximize the chances of a safe return of a wanderer.

Thanks for listening, and thank you for being here today in this great effort to aid the stricken and hasten us into a future free of Alzheimer’s.

Nancy the Person, from Co-workers

When you talk with Nancy’s co-workers, you are struck by three things:  1) she was one of the smartest people any of them had ever known; 2) she had a fabulous sense of humor; and 3) she was genuinely nice.  A graduate of the first class of computer scientists to graduate from the University of California-Davis, Nancy went on to get a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCLA.

While at UCLA she spent a summer internship at TRW in Redondo Beach and was snapped up as a full-time employee immediately upon graduation.  Ed Mashman, who was a TRW project lead, says that working with Nancy was a pure joy.  “She was one of those people who you just pointed in the right direction and she made magic.  I didn’t have to do a thing.”

When after a ten year stint Nancy left TRW to be a software developer at ITG, a institutional brokerage company, a number of her TRW colleagues soon followed.  She quickly rose through the ranks at ITG to become the head of Software Development, helping the company to develop new products that helped to revolutionize the industry and resulted in taking the company public.  Dan Zamsky, an ITG colleague who worked closely with Nancy says “she was one of the hardest workers in a group of dedicated hard working employees.  No matter how early I went in, she was always there before me.”

Possibly one of the greatest tributes to the mark that Nancy made with her co-workers can be found not just in the measures of business success she achieved, but more importantly in the large number of former colleagues who have mobilized to find her.  Engineers and developers are used to solving big complicated problems and, like Nancy, they don’t intend to stop until they succeed.

Sightings 10/29

1. On 10/29, a man called the tip line to report that he had seen a woman in a red print top in the Vons Parking Lot located at Pico and Fairfax.  He believes this happened around 6:00 pm.  He noticed her because he at first thought she was a homeless person, but on second thought decided there was some aspect of her that made him think that may not be the case.  She was holding on to a shopping cart in a way that made him think she might be using it as a means of support.  We will investigate with Vons further, but if you are up in that area, please keep your eyes open.
2. A woman called and reported that she saw another woman in the 99 Cents Store located at 229 E. Foothill Blvd. in Upland.  She noticed the woman for three reasons: 1. That she had gray “grow out” in her otherwise light brown hair (theh caler is a hairdreser), 2. That she had a very happy smile on her face; and 3. The woman had no cart, basket or items in her hand and was not apparently shopping.   The caller’s receipt has a time stamp of 9:14 pm.  Again, we will work with 99 Cents Stores to see if they can help us with this, but anyone in the Upland area following this, please keep your eyes open.

We got another story on KTLA Channel 5 this eve! Focus was using Pokemon Go players to find Nancy...

We did interviews this evening for the 6PM news spot by KTLA 5.   We've had a tip already based on this story, and several people saying that they saw the story.

The link for the story is at:  News broadcast on using Pokemon Go to find Nancy: KTLA Live LA Channel 5

Or here: http://ktla.com/2016/10/29/team-searching-for-missing-manhattan-beach-woman-leverages-pokemon-go-to-encourage-people-to-look-for-her/

The idea of using Pokemon GO apparently was suggested early, but the emphasis from our urban search and rescue expert, Kimberly Kelly (and mother to two teenagers...) led to us contacting media outlets.  We hope this story is picked up and spread more broadly.

Thanks to Chris and Mark from KTLA and to Kimberly Kelly!  And to Mary Beth McDade for her original story and supporting this story to KTLA 5!

Let's find Nancy tomorrow!

Plans for Sunday, October 30th

Thanks to everyone for your support!  We have over 40 people canvassing various areas today.  They covered areas south and east of LACMA, as well as Hollywood, West Hollywood and Griffith Park.  We had a representative of “Team Drasa” speak at the Alzheimer’s Walk today in Long Beach to explain why our team was missing the walk.

• For Sunday, October 30^th, we will be walking/biking the streets of Venice and some areas south/east of LACMA.  If you are willing to join our canvassing team, please send an email to NancyIsMissing@gmail.com with your name, cell #, and availability times. 
• A small team will be available for chasing down tips.
• There will be teams hiking in Will Rogers State Historic Park on Saturday.  If you’re interested, meet at the picnic tables above the Polo Field.  There is a $12 parking fee.

 
 

A few “out of the box” ideas for those who have this expertise:

• Drone review of places with larger wilderness areas like Griffith Park or the Santa Monica Mountains.
• Pokemon Go:  if you play Pokemon Go and can spread the word to fellow Pokemon searchers, we’d appreciate your passing the flyer to them.  We have a specialized flyer for Pokemon Go players on the right-hand side of the blog.

We are still getting surprisingly few tips.  Thanks for those who’ve volunteered to be a “Tip Tracker”.  It helps a lot to have people who are in different geographic areas available for a quick response.  

LET'S FIND NANCY!!

Rep. Ted Lieu's assist on Facebook & Twitter

Facebook and Twitter accounts asks for help in finding Nancy and has posted the flyer.

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/RepTedLieu/

Twitter
https://twitter.com/RepTedLieu

Pokémon GO Players: While You’re Out “Look Up for Nancy!”

The recent Halloween update to Pokémon GO has players back on the streets, in the parks, and on the beaches of LA looking to catch new, valuable Pokémon monsters.  While you’re out hunting, we want to ask you to “Look Up for Nancy!”

Our dear friend Nancy Paulikas, a wonderful person who has been compromised by early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease, has gone missing in Los Angeles.  She wandered away from her husband and other family members in Mid-Wilshire area of LA and we’ve been looking frantically for her ever since.

So, hunters, while you’re out playing Pokémon GO this weekend, we’re begging you to also keep your eyes out for Nancy.  Her picture, description, and tip line phone number is below.  So as you track your prey, please… “Look Up for Nancy!”

AND… please share this with other Pokémon GO players as broadly as you can

Happy hunting!

------------------------------------------------------

In you see her, snap a picture and PLEASE CALL:  310-567-6594

Nancy Paulikas

5’7”, 140 lbs

Light brown/gray hair

Blue eyes, glasses

55 yrs old, mental functioning of a 4 yr old

***She has difficulty communicating.

Call 310-567-6594 or 310-567-6396

More information at:

www.nancyismissing.blogspot.com

Nancy the backpacker…

From her long-time friend and fellow backpacker, Will Thomas

Nancy the backpacker…

She has spent her whole life in the mountains, starting as a kid and into her 50's, up and down the Sierra Nevadas, including the length of the John Muir trail. Nancy has tremendous endurance, a love of nature and the wilderness in ways unimaginable by those who have not hiked up a mountain, seen the sun disappear over a slab of granite, or felt a spark as dawn sweeps across the mirrored surface of a glacial lake. I have had the extreme privilege to share some of those experiences with Nancy and Kirk. They are hallowed memories.

Three years ago we had to climb out of the Rae Lakes basin over Glen Pass (11,926') after a stormy night of being cramped inside our tents. The rains had stopped by morning but seriously dark thunderheads hovered over the basin, and we needed to hustle - being trapped atop the narrow spine of Glen Pass in a lightning storm did not seem like a good idea. Kirk was in the lead - he is a cyclist and it showed. Andrea, our very fit friend from Menlo Park was in the back with Nancy, and I was in the middle. I was in extremely good shape for that trip and very motivated that morning. No matter how hard the pace pressed, Nancy kept up through the entire ascent, which was really no surprise. Nancy can walk all day, up and down, under a heavy load, and it doesn't faze her. She's relentless, strong and she loves every minute of it.

Alzheimer's has lately robbed Nancy of many things like a thief in the night, but memories of the robust, mountaineering Nancy live on. Those Sierra trails may still echo with the soft thud of her lug soled boots today, her baby blue backpack settled nicely on her hips, with her characteristic bandanna and hat bobbing with each step. I think, maybe, just around that next bend...

Plans for Saturday, October 29th

The LA Times full-page ad came out today and we have had a surprisingly low rate of tips.  So, we will focus on canvassing activities in areas a little further out from LACMA.

• For Saturday, October 29^th, we will be walking/biking the streets of LA a little further from LACMA.  If you are willing to join our canvassing team, please send an email to NancyIsMissing@gmail.com with your name, email, cell #, and availability times. 
• A small team will be available for chasing down tips.
• There will be teams hiking in Griffith Park on Saturday.  If you’re interested, meet at the merry-go-round in Griffith Park at 9 am.  We may choose another park for Sunday, but have not yet decided.  

A few “out of the box” ideas for those who have this expertise:

• Drone review of places with larger wilderness areas like Griffith Park or the Santa Monica Mountains.
• Pokemon Go:  If you play Pokemon Go and can spread the word to fellow Pokemon searchers, we’d appreciate your passing the flyer to them. 

Please tell us if you want to canvas tomorrow

Please email us at NancyIsMissing@gmail.com with your name, your cell, and the time you are available. 

If you let us know in advance, we can probably tell you the target area early (maybe outside of the immediate LACMA area, but in a close surrounding area).  You have the choice to go directly, or stop in at HQ for fliers.

Thanks

Nancy the person (from Nancy's Father)

The thing about Nancy that has always amazed us is her fearlessness and independence.  We started her skiing when she was barely three.  When she was probably no more than four or five we had gone on a family ski trip to Mammoth, Mountain. Coming down the slope together, her mother took a fall and I stopped to help.  In what was no more than a flash I turned around and Nancy was nowhere to be seen.  We searched everywhere over the next few panic stricken moments and her mother was sure that our little girl was going to freeze to death on the mountain.

You can imagine the relief we felt when a short while later, a fellow skier who had found Nancy had continued skiing to the bottom of Chair 2, scooped her up, rode up with her to the top of the chair with her and skied down the slope with her to the Main Lodge where we were reunited.  She was giggling and thrilled to have had such an exciting ride.  It is just that kind of fearlessness, even in the face of her Alzheimer’s condition, that will bring her back to us from this more perilous journey.  Her mother and I are deeply indebted to each and every one of you who have responded to our pleas for assistance in helping to find her.  Together we will make it happen.

• George Paulikas, Nancy’s Father

Our "Team Drasa" was scheduled to walk to support Alzheimer's Research tomorrow in Long Beach...

Drasa is Lithuanian for courage. Team Drasa is dedicated to support our courageous Nancy P, as well as to others who have battled dementia - or may yet someday - and to those placed into the crucible of care givers. We celebrate life and a future in which our donations will help overcome the tragedy of AD.

Since Nancy is still missing, there remains a strong emphasis on searching. Any Team Drasa members who wish to volunteer for tracking down incoming tips, canvassing neighborhoods, monitoring transportation systems, surveying parks and public places, etc. may volunteer by email to NancyIsMissing@gmail.com

And any donations to the Alzheimer's association are always welcome:

Alzheimer's Association: California Southland

And our  Team Drasa page for the walk tomorrow is at: (I can't figure out how to make this appear as a link ... you can choose the text, right click, and then "go to link" ... or something else I don't understand on a Mac ... If you know how to help me and you are an author, just fix it and get rid of this text, if you are not an author, please email NancyIsMissing.Blogspot.com)

http://act.alz.org/site/TR?team_id=354267&pg=team&fr_id=8837&et=-iXEKGUqjRYMsLmf0wztXg