Memory Walk To End Alzheimer's

Photos by OHventures

Staggering fact of the day: Did you know that 1 in 3 seniors dies from Alzheimer's Disease or another form of dementia?

 

Sadly, a recent report revealed those statistics, fueling the fire for those who are fighting to find a cure for this horrific disease.

 

My paternal Grandfather, Harold, passed away in 2005 after suffering for years from Alzheimer's Disease. I have previously written about how amazing of a man he was, and how difficult it was to watch him spiral downward as Alzheimer's slowly took from him his memory and his mind.

 

Because of this, I have been wanting for quite some time now to become more active in the cause. I contribute monetarily each paycheck, and I have made other donations along the way as well.

This year, however, I was thankfully able to round up some of my family members (at the last minute, unfortunately, or else there would be more family involved) to take part in the 2013 "Memory" Walk to End Alzheimer's on Saturday, October 12, 2013 in Boardman Park, near Youngstown.

This was one of dozens and dozens of annual walks in which the Alzheimer's Association holds in communities across the country. This is the largest event for the organization, and it's goal is to raise funds for research and public awareness.

I, along with my dog Slider, my mother, father, aunt, and grandmother, all walked in memory of my Grandpa. I created gold medals to wear around our necks adorning a photo of my late grandfather. We joined an already existing team ("BuBu's Bunch, a team that walks in support of my friend Katie's grandmother, who is living with Alzheimer's), so we all wore neon yellow to match their team t-shirts!

Each walker was given a pinwheel flower to carry with them, each a different color to represent different things (blue flowers were for those living with Alzheimer's, orange flowers were to indicate you were walking for the cause, etc.). We carried purple flowers, which meant that we were walking in memory of someone. Purple also happens to be the color of the Alzheimer's Association.

The walk was very short in distance, but took longer than expected. For one, this was because of the large volume of people at the event - a record breaking 800! Secondly, I was walking hand-in-hand with my 81-year-old grandmother, who is a widow due to this terrible illness. She walks at a much slower pace than everyone else, due to her age, her bad knee, and I believe also because it was such a somber event.

 

With time, we finished the loop through Boardman Park, and we were very happy to have raised over $200 for the cause, and to stop and remember what a great man my grandfather was. We will always miss him, and we hope that one day, no one else will have to suffer the same way he did.