By TRINA RUNNER
News & Journal Staff Writer
The Shinnston News & Harrison County Journal has named Jaclyn Ruble as May’s Citizen of the Month, a program sponsored by Dorsey Funeral Home in Shinnston – locally owned & operated
It takes a special kind of person to see blessings in the worst of circumstances. Jaclyn Ruble is such a person. After watching her father suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease for years, she has used his illness as a catalyst for her life’s work and intends to help raise awareness of the disease as well as provide preventative measures for those at risk.
Growing up in Kermit, WV, on the border of Kentucky, Ruble knew she would not be content following the traditional path to college and career. With her family’s support, she attended classes at University of Kentucky but soon found herself curious for life outside the classroom. After moving from West Virginia to Kentucky to South Carolina, she found herself coming nearly full circle as she returned to Kentucky when her father grew ill.
Although she is grateful for the job experience she gained along the way, she knew her calling was much bigger than an office job, and after meeting her now husband, John May, she found herself moving back to her home state, albeit a lot further north, as she settled into life in Bridgeport in 2010.
While walking around the Meadowbrook Mall, Ruble was introduced to The Alzheimer’s Association, a connection that proved to give her direction and drive and ultimately allowed her to see how her experience with the disease could help others. She assembled her first team for The Memory Walk and began researching the disease and ways to get involved. In the last five years, she, along with her friends and family, have raised nearly $20,000 to help end Alzheimers.
After a six year absence, the West Virginia State Chapter of The Alzheimer’s Association is bringing the walk back to Harrison County and the surrounding area. Ruble will be the Walk Chair and will be working with a team determined to put an end to this terrible disease. The walk will take place on September 25 at the Clarksburg Amphitheatre and teams are already forming. Joining is free and teams can sign up at www.alz.org.
Just last month, Ruble had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with Senator Shelley Moore Capito and state representatives in order to seek increased support for finding a cure, treatment and prevention alternatives for those with Alzheimer’s Disease. Gathering with advocates from all over the United States, and some internationally, inspired Ruble even more, as her fight against the disease gained momentum. She then attended the Special Committee on Aging Hearing, where David Hyde Pierce, among others, garnered greater funding for the cause.
Ruble’s mission to help may have started with fundraising and raising awareness, but her research led her to start her own company where she hopes to prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s from ever developing to begin with. Through her research, she discovered toxins present in many commonly used items. After further study, she was shocked that, in many cases, companies are allowed to use manipulative advertising and dangerous ingredients in order to boost their bottom line, at the expense of the health of others. Not one to take this lightly, Ruble searched until she found a company that stood for honesty, purity and encouraged holistic approaches to healthcare in order to prevent illnesses connected with foreign chemical use.
Ruble began her journey with Young Living Essential Oils in 2014 and is now among the 200 representatives across the nation whose aim it is to focus on safety, health, and wellness. She, along with other representatives, offers free classes locally, with her schedule posted on Facebook YourRevOilUtionaries.
Through her work with holistic healing, she has found her life’s work and is determined to honor the memory of her father by promoting health and wellness and educating people about the benefits of essential oils and the most current findings on Alzheimer’s. Being able to carry on her father’s legacy has fueled a fight in her that affects thousands of others who either have Alzheimer’s Disease or are caregivers for those with the illness. That energy is contagious and Ruble will no doubt make a difference for future generations.
