Star-Journbal Editor
Even though,
More than 4.5 million Americans are affected by Alzheimer's Disease, and without a significant medical breakthrough, as many as 16 million could have the disease by 2050,
And, even though,
One in 10 Americans have a family member with Alzheimer's, and one in three knows at least one person with the disease,
And, even though,
So many people have been affected by Alzheimer's Disease, only 13 people showed up Saturday morning to participate in the third annual Memory Walk at Reimer Field in Hillsboro.
Even so,
Organizers called it a success.
Because, after all, this is Alzheimer's Disease. And, besides, only 12 people walked last year.
"I think there's still a stigma associated with Alzheimer's Disease," said local event coordinator Marsha Setzkorn-Meyer. "And I think maybe people think it's like Relay for Life where they walk all night, but it isn't," she added.
"It's only two miles."
Memory Walk has been the official charitable event for the Alzheimer's Association since 1989, raising more than $200 million and attracting 200,000 walkers in more than 600 communities.
In its first year, the Hillsboro Memory Walk raised $1,900, and it brought in $1,500 last year. This year the walk netted $1,053.
"Well, it's a thousand more dollars than we had before we started," Setzkorn-Meyer said.
Relay For Life, the overnight event designed to celebrate survivorship and raise money for the American Cancer Society, begins with lots of hoopla. Cancer survivors walk the first emotional lap together to the sound of encouraging applause.
Saturday's Memory Walk began unceremoniously. People got on the track and started walking. And there could be no survivors walk by Alzheimer's survivors because, well, because no one survives this progressively-degenerating disease.
Five of the 13 walkers were Marsha, her husband, Mark, and their three young children. They all wore Memory Walk signs that read "Grandpa's Team."
Marsha's father and uncle have Alzheimer's. And her father-in-law was recently diagnosed, she said.
Her father began to repeat things, and then couldn't tell the difference between his brother and his son.
Now in his 80s, he's healthy enough to help with chores on the farm; so he checks to make sure the cattle have water, 10 to 15 times a day.
"He can't remember if he's already gone out and checked," she said. "He doesn't know he has Alzheimer's."
According to the association's web site (www.alz.org) Alzheimer's Disease is a "progressive brain disorder that gradually destroys a person's memory and ability to learn, reason, make judgments, communicate, and carry out daily activities.
"As Alzheimer's progresses, individuals may also experience changes in personality and behavior, such as anxiety, suspiciousness or agitation, as well as delusions or hallucinations.
"In late stages of the disease, individuals need help with dressing, personal hygiene, eating, and other basic functions.
"People with Alzheimer's die an average of eight years after first experiencing symptoms, but the duration of the disease can vary from three to 20 years."
Even though the disease is organic, many people still think of it as a borderline mental health problem, according to Marcia Halls, the executive director and development coordinator for the Alzheimer's Association district office in Wichita.
It may seem as if Alzheimer's patients lose their minds, but it's more accurate to say they lose their brains, one cell at a time.
"The average person's brain, at death, weighs about nine pounds," Halls said. "The brain of a person affected by Alzheimer's Disease weighs about three pounds."
Halls watched the 13 walkers take their laps Saturday. Small numbers are not surprising or discouraging, she said.
"I call it planting seeds," Halls said. "The whole thing is about education; getting information out to people that this is a disease of the brain. It's nothing to be ashamed of.
"Of course you're going to be embarrassed when your mother goes out dressed inappropriately, but this is not your mother. Your mother for all intents and purposes is gone."
The true victims of Alzheimer's Disease, Halls said, are the afflicted one's caregivers and families. Funds from the Memory Walk are given to care-giving husbands and wives so they can pay someone else to care for their spouses so they can get away for awhile.
"We work with people who are spending 24 hours a day, seven days a week trying to care for somebody who isn't sleeping and might be trying to wander off," Halls said. "They're looking at themselves in the mirror thinking there's a stranger in the house. All these things that are associated with the disease make it pretty unbearable."
While there are support groups in Harvey and Butler Counties, Halls said she is still looking for a church or some other organization in Marion County to sponsor a local group.
Anger, resentment, and guilt are issues caregivers often need to talk about in group settings, Halls said, adding that the worst moment comes when a caregiver is forced to break The Promise.
"We tell them that they can't feel guilty," Halls said. "Even if they said to someone, 'I promise I'll never put you in a nursing home.'"
On the track Saturday, a couple walked around side by side. Esther Pankratz and her husband were taking their first Memory Walk under the clear blue sky.
Her husband was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, Pankratz said. Although this isn't the retirement gift they'd hoped for, God will give them strength to see it through, she added.
"We've done lots of traveling, and so we'll have those memories to share," she said. "We're in the early stages. It's still early.
"We've still got years together."
Setzkorn-Meyer said she would organize another walk next year.
"I consider it a success because we had 13 people," she said. "As long as it keeps building like that, you know, you can't say no."
