Jessica Snell, Sedalia Walk
to End Alzheimer’s co-chair, and I were at the radio station Tuesday morning to
talk about the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. We were armed with the names of our
sponsors and teams, goals, and statistics. It’s always a pleasure to be on the
air with Doug, and even better to record the program for broadcast the next day.
When you are on the air live, you just have to go with it, but when the program
is recorded and your tongue gets tangled, you get “overs.” We all need overs
from time to time.
I’ve been involved with the
Walk since 1998 and during that time, I’ve seen a lot of changes. The first
year, I raised $400 and Jim and I walked with a handful of people. For the next
five years, I was the coordinator, or Walk chair, of our local Memory Walk. At
that time, our logo was the word “Alzheimer’s” with the “H” being two people,
leaning. The Alzheimer’s Association was well known as “Someone to lean on.”
The Walk began to draw hundreds of walkers.
For the next five years,
Shelley Spinner coordinated our Walk and I backed off the committee to make
sure everyone saw her as the leader of the group. She did a great job of
keeping the Walk exciting and fresh. I was able to concentrate on being captain
of Jim’s Team. Following her, Lisa Hayworth led the Walk committee for two
years. Lisa had no experience or help. At that time, my sister-in-law Ginger
and I went back on the committee, and we’ve remained on it since then helping
Sheila Ream.
Some things change and others remain the same. The Alzheimer’s Association changed the logo to the current
one and “Memory Walk” to Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Some of the format has
changed. The Promise ceremony has been added and it encompasses the
different ways that Alzheimer’s affects us. Our local chapter has changed names
from Mid-Missouri to Greater Missouri, merged with the Southwest Chapter, and
became a national chapter. What does this all mean? We still have chapter
offices where they were located previously and the Alzheimer’s Association
still provides the personal service that helped me throughout the years when
dementia ruled our lives.
Another change I’ve seen
over the years is how people have become more knowledgeable about the disease.
When I first approached area businesses in 1999 for corporate sponsorship, no
one seemed to know much about Alzheimer’s. Now, everyone seems to know a few
basics. A lot of credit goes to the Alzheimer’s Association
for raising public awareness.
The Walk is about people. It
is a time to show care and concern for those with the disease and their loved
ones. It is a time when everyone puts aside their differences and embraces the
opportunity to support their friends, neighbors, and relatives who are dealing
with Alzheimer’s. We have teams with different names, but in essence, we are
all one team. Competition is fierce, but friendly. I celebrate the teams that
raise more than our team.
When I was coordinating the
Sedalia Walk, I became friends with Ted Distler who coordinated the Jefferson
City Walk. We “trash talked” each other all the time about which town was going
to raise more money. In truth, it was all in competitive fun, and we supported
each other at fundraisers. Ted would drive to Sedalia for our Dance to
Remember, and I’d drive to Jefferson City for their Chicken Dinner. We had the
same connection to the disease and the same passion for doing what we could to
help other care partners and persons with dementia.
What people don’t understand
is Walk to End Alzheimer’s is a fun event. Yes, it is sobering at times when
you hear the stories of the participants, and the flower ceremony is touching,
but knowing that you are doing your part is heart lifting. Smiles, laughter,
and love are the order of the day. You don’t want to miss it or you’ll have to
wait another year. From babies in strollers to seniors in wheelchairs, we lend
support and lean on each other to end Alzheimer’s.
Copyright © August 2015 by L.S. Fisher
http://earlyonset.blogspot
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