AquaSox’s Bishop leads mother’s battle against early-onset Alzheimer’s

Published 8:00 pm Thursday, June 25, 2015

EVERETT — Braden Bishop has added an extra step to his pregame preparations.

Prior to each game, the Everett AquaSox outfielder tapes up his wrists. But before declaring the tape job complete Bishop applies a simple message to the tape on his left wrist, inking four characters that read: 4MOM.

It’s a daily tribute to his mother, Suzy, who’s suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, as well as a reminder of what’s most important in life.

Bishop, a 21-year-old from San Carlos, Calif., is one of the brightest prospects on Everett’s roster this season. He was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the third round of this year’s amateur draft out of the University of Washington, impressing the pro scouts with his defensive abilities in center field and his speed on the basepaths.

But last September, just as Bishop was beginning his junior year at UW, the Bishops were rocked by news that would shake any family.

Bishop’s mother Suzy is a vibrant woman, a Hollywood television producer who worked primarily on TV movies while at NBC. However, she suffered from migraine headaches the past eight years, with the symptoms worsening as time passed. After a long series of tests it was discovered she had early-onset Alzheimer’s, a rare form of Alzheimer’s disease that causes memory loss in individuals under the age of 65.

“If you didn’t know she had it you’d think she was perfectly normal, with a few hiccups here and there,” Bishop said. “She has her good days and bad. But for the most part it’s the short-term stuff she forgets. It’s a tough thing not only for her, but our family as well.”

Every member of the Bishop family has been affected profoundly. Suzy, who has moments of forgetfulness, is now forced to remain within the comfort zone of her hometown in San Carlos. Bishop’s father, Randy, and 16-year-old brother, Hunter, are charged with additional care duties at home.

Meanwhile, Bishop himself struggled with being away from home, playing college baseball in the Northwest while his mother was back home dealing with the affects of the disease. But rather than wallow, Bishop has taken action. He started a charity called 4MOM dedicated to raising awareness and funds for early-onset Alzheimer’s. He held a charity deadlift competition in January, raising approximately $8,000, and the charity has raised more than $10,000 total so far. He’s planning a charity softball game for September at the UW.

It’s all inspired by his mom’s battle with the disease.

“I saw her struggle and I knew there was somebody else in my position with their mom struggling,” Bishop explained. “My hope and my goal is that somebody won’t have to see their mom struggle. Will that ever be achieved? I don’t know. But I’ll never stop striving for it, and the people around me and the people helping with the charity, they won’t either. I’m definitely excited to be able to be this light in my mom’s life.”

Bishop doesn’t know what the future holds for his mother.

“That’s the thing, we don’t know,” Bishop said. “Sometimes doctors say it could be two years and it fully hits, and it could be 25 years and it fully hits. We don’t know, we’re just playing the waiting game. We’re trying different health-wise things to see if we can make it a little slower and maybe cure it. We’re being patient with her, but it’s a process. She’s just lucky to have a lot of people care about her.”

But what Bishop does know is that he’s going to continue to do everything he can to fight early-onset Alzheimer’s. And he’s going to do everything he can to support his mom during her battle with the disease.

“It’s made me change the way I look at life, because one day she might not remember who I am,” Bishop said. “From when she was first diagnosed to now a lot of things have changed. Baseball wise it’s helped me put the game in perspective. I’m not going to be playing it forever, so it makes me enjoy every day like it’s my last.”