Walk to End Alzheimer's

MOSES LAKE — Even if there wasn’t nearly $40,000 raised for the 2018 Moses Lake Walk to End Alzheimer’s the unified front that was presented by community members during the walk on Saturday could have led a person to believe the event was a success. The good news is there was money raised, upwards of $37,000, to go along with the unified front and sea of purple shirts during the event.

“I’ve been doing this here for a few years now actually and every time I tell myself there is no way I am going to miss the next one. My step-dad actually passed away from dementia in 2007, so this is a type of disease that I am all too aware of unfortunately,” Janet Sanders said after Saturday’s walk.

The walk itself is fairly simple idea. Throughout the year locals have been fundraising in preparation for the walk, which was held at Moses Lake High School this year, in hopes of making a dent in the fight against the disease, but also in the spirit of friendly competition to see who can gather the most donations. On walk day participants venture out on a short, but brisk walk.

Every year event organizers have a set goal in mind to strive toward in terms of overall fundraising. This year’s goal was set at $32,500, which was easily beaten by the teams this year in fundraising before the walk. That number is expected to rise when organizers tally donations that came in Saturday morning.

“I think the fundraising aspect of the walk is what makes it fun,” Jemma Richards remarked. “I mean it would be fun without fundraising, but it just adds a little bit of extra incentive, a boost if you will, to help in the fight.”

The fight against Alzheimer’s Disease is a tough one, to be sure. The disease affects over 5 million Americans, 150,000 of whom live in Washington and Idaho. In 2017, 16 million American gave 18.4 hours of unpaid care to people with Alzheimer’s, valued at $232 billion. The disease is expected to cost the country $277 billion in 2018 alone, with that figure predicted to jump to $1.1 trillion by 2050.

“I actually care for my dad who has Alzheimer’s. My mom has passed and my siblings don't live in Washington so it’s up to me to provide that care. I wouldn’t trade it for a thing, but I will tell you that it is one of the most difficult things I have ever done,” Donna Henderson said. “The walk is great because it not only recognizes people who have Alzheimer’s but those who care for the people who have it. A lot of the time us caregivers are kind of forgotten about in the bigger picture, but not during the walk.”

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.