Viva Mogi has cared for her mother, who has Alzheimer’s, for 10 years. The family first noticed changes in her memory on a trip to Japan, in her mother’s hometown. When they got home, she was diagnosed. Mogi lived in San Francisco, while her parents lived in Los Angeles.
“I made a commitment to fly home once a month just to spend the weekend with them,” Mogi said. Four years ago, when it was clear her mother needed more support, she moved back full-time after 18 years away.
Her mother speaks only Japanese, and it took months to find part-time support that could speak with her. After posting flyers in markets, sleuthing online, and reaching out to the Japanese newspaper, she found someone who could sing Japanese children’s songs and fold origami.
“She always smiles when she looks over at me, and she starts cheering, and she gets so happy,” Mogi said. “It’s an honor to be able to take care of someone who is so grateful too.”
What stays with her is how little the family was offered at diagnosis: they were sent home with little more than memory game suggestions.
“They kind of wished us luck,” Mogi said. “This could be so different, and I want it to be different for other families.”
That’s why she supports Proposition 38, the Immunology Medical Research & Cures Initiative, on California’s November 2026 ballot. Prop 38 is an $8.4 billion bond for immunology research with the potential to prevent and cure cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and other diseases. Funds go only to California nonprofit universities and research institutions, and Californians get a minimum 20% discount on treatments developed under the measure.
For Mogi, she’s supporting Prop 38 to mobilize hope for the next family.
“It’s really for hope, and I’m doing this for so many families that I know that when they hear those words [the diagnosis], it’s gonna be devastating…Even if it doesn’t cure my mom, I am so excited for Prop 38.”
Learn more at YESon38.com and vote YES on Prop 38.