Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor left the court in 2007 to take care of her husband who was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.

Wednesday she joined several others to share their stories with the Senate Council on Aging and to urge Congress to take a more active role in research and treatment of the disease.

According to the experts Alzheimer's has become a national epidemic affecting at least five million Americans.

Doctors say there are as many as a half-a-million new cases diagnosed every year.

Some believe that soon half of Americans over the age of 80 will suffer from Alzheimer's.

"My beloved husband John suffers from Alzheimer's, he's had it for a long time now and he's not in very good shape at present," O'Connor told the committee.

She joined former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who also has a relative with the disease, to urge Congress to make research and funding for Alzheimer's treatments a priority.

The most stunning testimony was from those living with the disease.

Chuck Jackson shared his fight with Alzheimer's over the last four years, a battle Suzanne Carbone understands all too well.

For years she has watched as her husband, a scholar and educator with a PhD, has been cut down by Alzheimer's.

"He can no longer speak a coherent sentence, he can't dress himself," Carbone said.

These families say, they do know something must be done to stop Alzheimer's before millions more realize it is too late for help.

Sandra Day O'Connor and Newt Gingrich are part of the newly formed National Alzheimer's Study Group, which hopes to deliver a comprehensive report and recommendations on fighting the disease sometime next year.