AAIC 2026

Theme: Beyond the Data - Art and Reflections

Title: "What Remains Is LOVE"

Artist & Author; Donna de Levante Raphael, PhD

Director of Research, Alzheimer's Foundation of America

Hello Everyone, Thank you for stopping by my presentation.

My name is Donna de Levante Raphael, and today I share this artwork, "What Remains Is LOVE". I present this piece not only as a researcher dedicated to advancing Alzheimer's science, but also as a daughter and caregiver whose understanding of this disease was first shaped through love.

This artwork is a love letter written in time.

This piece is my mother's Alzheimer's journey, and it represents the heart of this year's theme, "Beyond the Data." As scientists, we spend our careers studying biomarkers, neuroimaging, genetics, social and behavioral caregiver science and clinical outcomes. Those discoveries are essential. But every image we analyze, every dataset we interpret, and every breakthrough we celebrate begins with a human story.

At the center of this artwork is my mother. She is seated with dignity, strength, and quiet grace. Alzheimer's disease gradually changed her memory, but it never erased who she was. Her expression reminds us that identity is more than cognition. Personhood does not disappear with a diagnosis. Even when words become fewer and memories become fragmented, the individual remains worthy of love, respect, and human connection.

Standing behind her is her daughter - me. My hands rest gently on her shoulders, not to hold her up, but to ground her. That touch symbolizes every caregiver who walks beside a loved one through uncertainty. Caregivers become witnesses, advocates, and memory keepers. Caregiving taught me that presence can be as powerful as medicine, and that compassion is an essential partner to science and that healing is not always found in having answers. Sometimes healing is simply found in being present.
Surrounding us is a celestial map representing both the mystery of the universe and the mystery of the human brain. Like the constellations, Alzheimer's disease rarely follows a straight path. It loops, changes, surprises, and affects every person differently. These celestial patterns mirror the neural networks that researchers strive to understand through biomarkers, neuroimaging, and emerging technologies. Both astronomy and neuroscience ask us to explore what cannot yet be fully seen. As researchers, we work to map those hidden pathways through biomarkers and neuroimaging, searching for answers that will lead to earlier diagnosis and better treatments.

In the lower left corner, you will notice the smaller floating portraits of my mother and they represent different chapters and stages of her life. They drift freely into our lives because memories are not stored in neat chronological order. They appear unexpectedly—a favorite song, a cherished photograph, a warm unexpected smile, a familiar voice. These earlier versions of her were never truly lost. They remained layered within her until the very end.
As a researcher, I believe this is why early detection and diagnosis matter so profoundly. Earlier diagnosis gives individuals and families something priceless: time. Time to access treatments, participate in research, make informed decisions, strengthen relationships and even forgive caused traumas, and create meaningful moments while memories can still be shared. Early detection is not simply about identifying disease—it is about preserving dignity, autonomy, and quality of life.

This artwork lives where science and humanity meet. This artwork reminds us that Alzheimer's disease is not only a biological condition; it is a deeply human experience that transforms entire families. Behind every brain scan is someone's mother. Behind every clinical trial is someone's father. Behind every dataset is a family hoping for more time. Behind every biomarker is a family searching for hope. Behind every research breakthrough is a human story that deserves to be remembered.
The theme of this exhibition is “Beyond the Data”, and that is exactly where this artwork invites us to look.

Beyond the data are mothers.
Beyond the data are husbands, wives, partners, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and grandchildren.
Beyond the data are the relationships that give our research its purpose.
So when you leave here today, my hope is that you remember that beyond the data are people. Beyond the diagnosis are relationships. And beyond Alzheimer's disease, what remains is love.

With gratitude,

Donna de Levante Raphael, Ph.D.