Wednesday is "World Alzheimer's Day" and an East Tennessee group spent Wednesday morning raising awareness about the disease.
Early Wednesday morning, Knoxville dignitaries and "Alzheimer's Tennessee Inc." made big announcements in the push for awareness of the disease.
Former Head Vols Football Coach, Phillip Fulmer, spoke at the event. He knows all too well the face of Alzheimers.
Coach Fulmer said, "My mother has Alzheimers. We have been dealing with it for a number of years."
Also, just this year, his close friend, Lady Vols Coach Pat Summitt, announced her own struggle with the disease.
"I'm like everyone in the world, you are either affected or going to be affected by this dreadful aAzheimers disease," said Coach Fulmer.
The group, Alzheimer's Tennessee, announced big plans to extend the "We Back Pat" campaign that started with the sale of more than 20,000 t-shirts.
Alzheimer's Tennessee Inc. Executive Director, Janice Wade-Whitehead, said, "Pat Summitt's announcement did really shine a spotlight on a disease that needed to have additional public awareness and actually motivate and move people forward."
Early Wednesday morning, talk also turned to legislation. For the first time a national advisory council will look at how to improve the health and outcome for people diagnosed with the disease.
Wade Whitehead said, "We are being asked to roll public input up to an advisory council. So, we are asking people through November, we want to hear your experiences."
Click here to get your We Back Pat t-shirts
UT also announced Wednesday an expansion of the "We Back Pat" Campaign.
The first phase was the orange shirts. Now, the second phase will be a mobile billboard. Starting Friday, you can sign it for a small donation and eventually those billboards will be hung throughout East Tennessee in support of Coach Summitt.
The signing of those billboards will begin on Friday at the Lady Vols soccer game at 7:00 p.m.