result
fueled
by love
Phil Frengs Puts Alzheimer’s Research on the Fast Track
Every love story has its spark. For Mimi and Phil Frengs, it all began with a Fishbowl Toss game on a spring evening in 1974. Phil was a recent UCLA grad visiting campus for the annual Mardi Gras carnival when he saw Mimi at the Kappa Delta game booth. He was captivated. Years later, Phil recalls that while he didn’t win a goldfish that night, the chance meeting spurred a first date — and, ultimately, marriage to the woman who would be his life’s partner for nearly 50 years.
Phil shares that Mimi brought the gentle grace of her Mississippi roots to their busy California home as a full-time mom to children Katy, Meredith and Peter. Meanwhile, Phil’s early career skyrocketed into an entrepreneurial venture in professional support services for the legal industry, and his company, Legistics, took shape.
In 2008, Legistics began sponsoring motorsports, a personal passion of Phil’s. It started with training support for a promising young driver and eventually led to sponsorship of an International Motor Sports Association racing team. Weekends were spent trackside in the full-on sensory thrill of roaring engines, burning rubber and the kaleidoscope of cars screaming past.
“You’re walking alongside your loved one with a broken heart and little hope.”
But in fall of 2013, life at home felt off. At age 60, Mimi was suddenly experiencing bouts of confusion and uncharacteristic frustration. Fear caused her to hide tell-tale signs of growing forgetfulness. It wasn’t long until she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
“When we got the news about Mimi, I was crushed,” says Phil. “We soon discovered that it really is a family disease. You’re walking alongside your loved one with a broken heart and little hope.” Phil backed off from work commitments and served as Mimi’s primary caregiver for the first few years.
Legistics continued sponsoring races, winning championships in 2016 and 2018. At the track one day, Phil was struck by a thought. If a race car can draw attention to the company whose name and logo are emblazoned on it, then why not do the same for patients and families living with Alzheimer’s?
In 2017, Racing to End Alzheimer’s was born. The nonprofit endeavor offered Phil and others the chance to honor a beloved “champion” by placing his or her name and hometown on the body of the Legistics-sponsored sports car for a season. The idea took off, with thousands of supporters paying $250 to name a loved one in the unique “moving tribute.” Legistics donates a full 100% of the funds raised while also matching every dollar.
“the most important thing our donors do is reach into their heart to recognize someone they love and celebrate them.”
“The idea is to create awareness,” explains Phil. “But the most important thing our donors do is reach into their heart to recognize someone they love and celebrate them; it’s a simple act but a meaningful statement.”
The race came to Houston when Phil met sportscaster Jim Nantz. Nantz had teamed with Dr. Stanley H. Appel of the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute to create the Nantz National Alzheimer Center (NNAC) and was on board to be an advocate and beneficiary partner. To date, the nonprofit has gifted a total of $500,000 toward the center’s research into both understanding the disease and formulating new treatments and diagnostics. It has donated an equal amount to Mimi’s care program in California.
“Racing to End Alzheimer’s is as foundational a partner as we could have hoped for,” says Dr. Joseph C. Masdeu, NNAC director. “The awareness that Phil brings to the cause is a selfless act by a dedicated friend who knows the full weight of this terrible disease.”
In April of this year, Mimi succumbed to complications from 12 years of living with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Phil will tell you that her light endured to the end. Through Racing to End Alzheimer’s, he hopes to keep that light aglow for others on the same journey. “It’s the fight of our lives,” he concludes. “We’re here to get loud about Alzheimer’s to help fund the care and find the cure.”