Raising Awareness & Funds to Cure Alzheimer's Disease

November 2, 2022Marti Lythgoe

marti and her grand daughter at the start of the walk In Sept. 2022, my granddaughter, Kyra,asked me to join her in a local (Sandy, Utah) “Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s®.” World Alzheimer’s Day is Sept. 21st.

One of Kyra’s fellow employees had recently lost her husband to Alzheimer’s, and the company was sponsoring a “Team” of walkers. Having lost her Grandpa (my husband, Dennis) to the disease in May of 2021, she wanted to honor him, as well, by walking to create awareness and by contributing to find a cure. I joined her in doing both. It was a touching experience that I won’t soon forget.

Over 475 people, including 89 teams signed up in advance for this Salt Lake County walk at Rio Tinto Stadium, and even more participated. An ambitious fund-raising goal of $165,400 was set and $95,878 was raised. It’s not too late to contribute. The event began with a ceremony where heartbreaking statistics were shared:

34,000 people in Utah are living with Alzheimer’s
97,000 Utahans are providing unpaid care
119 million people have died from Alzheimer’s since 2000

356.0% is the estimated increase of geriatricians needed in Utah to meet the demand in 2050

Walks are held annually all over the country in more than 600 communities. It is the world’s largest fundraiser for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Participants committed to ending the disease carry flowers, “Because like flowers, our participants don’t stop when something’s in their way. They keep raising funds and awareness for a breakthrough in the fight against Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.”

Blue represents someone living with Alzheimer's or another dementia
Purple is for those who have lost a someone to the disease.

Yellow represents someone who is currently supporting or caring for a person living with Alzheimer's.
Orange means you support the Alzheimer’s Association

marti and her grand daughter at the end of the walk Wearing purple shirts, Kyra and I proudly carried our purple flowers, inspired by all those we walked with who shared our loss. Kyra had made stickers honoring Dennis that we attached on one of the petals, and she carried his obituary. We were encouraged by the organizers to show our enthusiasm for the cause and our support for each other, so we walked with smiles on our faces and cheered along with our large group as cars passed by.

Nationally, November is Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, a time to heighten awareness about Alzheimer’sdisease and show support for the more than 6.2 million Americans living with it.

alzheimer's awareness logo President Reagan first made this designation in 1983 after recognizing the need for heightened awareness of the disease. He was diagnosed with the disease, himself. While there were less than two million Americans living with Alzheimer’s at that time, the number has since increased to nearly six million. it is more important than ever to raise awareness and funds to help find a cure. The Alzheimer's Association is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. All donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.