My Story

Alzheimer’s is part of my story. With treatment, I got my life back.

Before

I grew up in New Orleans in a family with a proud history of service. My father served in the Marine Corps during World War II and fought at the Battle of Midway. My uncle, Hubert Chatelain, received the Silver Star posthumously for his bravery aboard the USS South Dakota, and the destroyer USS Chatelain still carries his name.

I carried on that tradition when I enlisted in the Air Force in 1966. I served in Vietnam and later at Patrick Air Force Base, where I met Judy. We married in 1970, and 56 years later she’s still the best thing that ever happened to me. I earned my business degree from Florida State University in 1973.

I built my career in insurance. I started Besnard & Associates Insurance in 1979, spent 1985 to 2006 with Gallagher, and re-founded Besnard in 2008 before retiring. I’ve always believed in working hard and giving back. I’ve supported Sunrise, which helps survivors of domestic abuse, and today I serve on the board of the Alzheimer’s Association Florida Gulf Coast Chapter.

Today Judy and I are retired in Florida, and family still comes first. I’m proud to be a husband, a father to our two children, a grandfather to five, and a brother, uncle, nephew, and godfather. My Catholic faith is a big part of my life, and I spent years coaching soccer. These days you’ll find me doing yardwork, out on the boat or cheering on the Seminoles at FSU games. I’ve also always loved history and collect pieces from the Civil War through World War II. But nothing beats a family dinner or a holiday with everyone together.

The first signs

It started with little things. My wife would tell me I was forgetting things, and I’d do things like put my phone in the freezer. I figured something was going on, but I didn’t think that even if it was Alzheimer’s, it could be treated. In 2023 I went to my primary doctor. He didn’t think I had it, but he sent me to a neurologist, who diagnosed me with mild cognitive impairment, one step before Alzheimer’s disease. I was 78, and a lot of people chalked it up to normal memory loss with age. But after that, I felt like it was being dropped. Nobody was really treating it the way I wanted, so I spent weeks on the internet trying to figure out where to go.

The diagnosis

That’s how I found the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute here in Tampa, the “Byrd Center.” I never even knew we had an Alzheimer’s center. I was lucky enough to get a good doctor there, who said, let’s do more testing. After a bunch of tests, I was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in late summer 2024. It came as a shock to me, as it would to anybody. Then I had to decide what to do next.

My treatment

I chose to start an FDA-approved infusion treatment called Kisunla. It took about three months to get going while the approvals and insurance were worked out, and in November 2024 I had my first infusion. It’s one day a month and about half an hour in the office. It’s no big deal. Seven or eight months in, my tests were a little better. Then in July 2026, my PET scan showed they couldn’t find the amyloid plaque at all. Even my doctors were amazed. I was so early that I was almost like a guinea pig. My doctors told me I could come off the medicine, and I double-checked that with Dr. Steen at Axiom Brain Health. I finished my 20th and final infusion in September 2026. My treatment was chosen with my doctors for my own situation. For most people these medicines are meant to slow the disease, and results are different for every person, so please talk with your own doctor about what’s right for you.

Getting my life back

It’s been much more successful than I ever thought it would be. I look at myself as one of the luckiest people in the world, because I got it when I got it, while treatment could still help. If you asked me today whether I have Alzheimer’s, I honestly don’t know if I’d say yes or no. That’s a glorious thing. I still have Alzheimer’s, but the treatment slowed it down. My scans show the plaque is gone, and my p-tau, one of the markers doctors use to track the disease, is back in range. Nothing makes me happier than telling people what my doctors and this treatment did for me.

Getting here shouldn’t have been so hard, and doctors are still catching up. Recently, my primary doctor told me, “I don’t think you have Alzheimer’s.” My test results say otherwise. If doctors aren’t looking for it, patients aren’t getting checked early enough.

Why I’m sharing this

I just feel like I’ve got a duty to do it. When I found out I had Alzheimer’s, I told three people I know well back in my hometown. All three went to get tested, and all three had Alzheimer’s. These were functional people, business people, and now they’re getting treated too. There’s a window of time when these medicines can help, and if you wait too long, you may not qualify. The clock is ticking. So if you think something is wrong, talk to your primary doctor, ask for a neurologist, or go to a memory center. Don’t be afraid of the test. That’s why I joined the board of the local Alzheimer’s Association chapter, and why I’ll be the keynote speaker at the chapter’s 2027 Inspire, Imagine & Hope Gala. My mission isn’t just to get people tested. It’s to help them see which treatments are available for them, because new ones are being rolled out all the time. I’m not a doctor. I’m sharing what I’ve learned so you can have a better conversation with yours.

Why early testing matters

Blood tests can now help doctors spot signs of Alzheimer’s earlier than ever. Treatments like mine are meant for people in the early stages, so the sooner you know, the more options you have. Waiting can mean missing the window.

My mission

Here’s what I’m working on so the next person doesn’t have to figure this out alone:

• Spread the word about early testing: if you or someone you love is noticing memory changes, ask your doctor about testing now, not later.

• Inform doctors: speak at medical conventions and symposiums, and encourage large health systems like BayCare to make memory assessments a routine part of patient care.

• Advocate in Washington: work alongside the Alzheimer’s Association to push for wider access to early diagnosis and treatment.

• Raise funds: for research, and for helping families find their way to diagnosis and treatment.

A word from my family

“This treatment changed the course of our lives. We’re thankful for it every single day. Joe spent weeks researching how to move forward, finding the right doctors and medical centers. Most people wouldn’t know to do that, and that’s why sharing his story matters so much to us.” — Judy Besnard