How To Donate To The Pat Summitt Foundation Today

Pat Summitt, the legendary coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team, died on Tuesday morning. Summitt, who passed away at only 64-years-old, was the most winningest coach in college basketball — men's and women's — and was considered to be a trailblazer for women in sports. However, in recent years, Summitt positioned herself at the forefront of another fight: in 2011 Summitt was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and began fighting tirelessly to make Alzheimer’s care more accessible in the United States. Not long after her diagnosis, Summitt founded the Pat Summitt Foundation to carry out her mission. Without a doubt, the best way to honor Pat Summit is by donating to her foundation — Summitt died of Alzheimer's disease, but her foundation will continue to fund research into Alzheimer's care and prevention.

The Pat Summitt foundation has already made great strides in Alzheimer's care. In fact, the Pat Summitt Alzheimer's Clinic will open at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in December 2016 — it's sad to think that Summitt herself will not be at the opening. Even while she struggled with Alzheimer's over the last few years, Summitt worked tirelessly to help others fight the disease, and dedicated herself to help find a cure.

The Pat Summit Foundation suggests multiple ways in which those who would like to honor Summitt can do so — while also pitching in to fight Alzheimer's disease. From hosting a "We Back Pat" high school basketball game, to purchasing Pat Summitt sportswear, to making a monetary donation, the Pat Summitt Foundation offers numerous ways in which to honor the coach.

Pat Summitt was only 22-years-old when began coaching the Lady Vols, and she continued to coach the team until she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at 59. Though NPR reported that Summitt had to step down from her position as head coach soon after her diagnosis, Summitt remained a well-known face of women's basketball — according to the New York Times, President Obama awarded Summitt the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 for her contributions to the sport.

Soon after she found out she had Alzheimer's, Summitt appeared in a video and shared her diagnosis, but also promised to continue coaching. Although Alzheimer's kept her from continuing her work with the Lady Vols as long as she would have liked, Summitt used her renown to bring awareness to Alzheimer's disease, — Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States — and to show that even someone as strong, and relatively young, as herself could be effected by Alzheimer's.

Summitt's legacy will not be limited to her historic career in basketball, but will include her tireless work to find a cure to Alzheimer's disease, as well.