Hundreds walk with hope to end Alzheimer's
BUTLER TWP — The color purple was everywhere Saturday morning when hundreds turned out at Butler County Community College.
They came to pay tribute to loved ones now passed and those suffering. They came to bond with others, and they came for hope.
Their common connection: Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
“The toll this disease takes on a person and their family is devastating,” said Jill Callen of Butler Township. “It's horrible.”
Callen lost her father, uncle and aunt to Alzheimer's.
“It's a very cruel and brutal disease,” said Linda Blevins of Renfrew. She lost her husband five years ago to vascular dementia.
“It's an insidious disease,” said Randall McDonald of Saxonburg. His wife's uncle has early-stage Alzheimer's.
Alzheimer's is a fatal disease of the brain that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. It is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for the loss of memory and other abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life.
Everyone had a personal story to tell Saturday at the Walk to End Alzheimer's, an annual event to raise money and awareness for the disease. More than 300 people turned out for the Butler County walk, hosted by the Greater Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.
The event was one of more than 600 held Saturday in communities nationwide to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's care, support and research.
“It's the largest fundraising event for Alzheimer's in the nation,” said Nathaniel Sofranko of Mount Pleasant, the event manager.The area chapter had a goal of raising $60,000, he said. The money was collected by 40 walk teams from businesses and families.Callen was captain of Slide's Team, named in honor of her dad, Wayne “Slide” Osborne of Meridian, who died April 23, 2014. He was 72.She has vivid memories of watching Alzheimer's steal her father from her.Signs of his disease first manifested during a family vacation in 2011. Slide became disoriented and would wander around aimlessly in their vacation rental home.Eventually, he exhibited the symptoms of “sundowning,” a neurological phenomenon associated with Alzheimer's or other dementias.Sundowning refers to a late-day increase in agitation, confusion and restlessness. Her father, Callen said, “couldn't tell the difference between night and day.”In time, she said, “we had to feed, clean and bathe him.”The disease also claimed her uncle at 87 and her aunt at 71.Blevins' husband Scotty died in 2014 while they lived in Maryland. She moved to Butler County about a year ago to be near her daughter.Scotty battled nine years with the disease, with Blevins' enduring the emotional affects every step of the way.“It's a long, long brutal, cruel disease,” she said. “It takes everything.”“It's really sad,” said McDonald, referring to what Alzheimer's has done to his wife's uncle.“He's lost track of his children and doesn't recognize them,” McDonald said. “It's a really insidious disease.”His story and the seemingly endless others are what led to the large turnout Saturday.
“We're here to support the cause,” McDonald said, “and see if there can be a cure.”This was his second year at the walk.For Blevins, it was the first walk in her newly adopted home. But she participated for several years in similar walks in Maryland.Callen has been going to the yearly walk since 2013. She feels the connection with others every time.That is a purpose of the event, said Sofranko, a 2015 graduate of Slippery Rock University. He works as a walk manager for the Alzheimer's Association.Before the walk, which took participants on a one-mile loop around BC3's main campus, there was a Promise Garden Ceremony.During the ceremony, each participant held a different colored pinwheel type flower that symbolizes their different reasons for walking.Sofranko explained the color system: “Orange is for someone who supports the mission. Yellow is for someone who is a caregiver. Blue is for someone living with Alzheimer's or dementia. Purple is for someone who has lost a loved one to the disease.”There were a lot of purple flowers Saturday.
1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life2. Challenges in planning or solving problems3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks4. Confusion with time or place5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships6. New problems with words in speaking or writing7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps8. Decreased or poor judgment9. Withdrawal from work or social activities10. Changes in mood and personalitySource: Alzheimer's Association
