RiverBender Blog: I'm Participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer's
Support for families facing dementia is part of the mission behind the Edwardsville Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Read about the resources the walk helps fund and one family’s reason for joining.
In a few weeks, I’ll be joining hundreds of other people in the Edwardsville Walk to End Alzheimer’s, and I can’t wait.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
The annual walk raises money and awareness for Alzheimer’s research. The Alzheimer’s Association offers support for caregivers and folks who have received a dementia diagnosis. This walk will help fund their work, including support groups, educational events, and a 24/7 helpline for those in need.
It’s worthy work, and it hits close to home. My family and I lost my grandfather to Alzheimer’s late last year. It was devastating to watch the disease affect him, but more than that, it made me angry. It made me determined to fight back.
This walk is part of that mission. I have a lot of respect for the work done by the Alzheimer’s Association and how they help people who are going through the battle of a lifetime. They’re focused on finding a cure.
Every year, before the walk kicks off, all participants hold up a flower. The flower’s color denotes your relationship to the disease. I’ll be carrying a purple flower, meaning I lost someone. Some will hold a yellow flower to show they’re a caregiver, or a blue flower to say they’re living with Alzheimer’s.
And one child will walk out carrying a white flower, representing the first person in our lifetime who will be cured of Alzheimer’s.
It will be a powerful moment, and I expect tears to be shed. It’s hopeful. It speaks to a better future.
My family and I decided to participate in the walk because we believe in that better future. We’re saddened by the loss of my grandfather, obviously. But we’re also focused on making sure no other family has to go through that. We want to find a cure.
And we’re taking a sad thing and making it into a fun day. While the Walk to End Alzheimer’s has the potential to be solemn, that’s not the point for organizers or participants.
The point is that hope, and showing each other that we’re not in it alone. Caregiving or receiving a diagnosis like this can be very isolating. We want people to know that there are resources out there. There are people who can help.
I give a lot of kudos to the Alzheimer’s Association for their work to help people. I’m also thankful for the opportunity to play a small role in that work by fundraising myself.
If you want to donate and support my family’s team, you can click here to do so.
I deeply appreciate you if you choose to donate, or just because you’re reading this article. Your support means the world to me, and it will have a tangible impact for families facing an ongoing crisis like this.
I’m grateful for the years I got to spend with my grandpa, and I’m determined to pick up where he left off in his fight. If you’re in a similar situation, just know you’re not alone. We’ll be fighting together.
More like this:
- Most Popular
- Top Stories
- Most Recent
