Support battle against Alzheimer’s this Saturday

The Alzheimer’s Association’s 2021 Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Hawaii Island is this Saturday.

“This year, our walk is your walk. Although we are still not able to celebrate and walk together in-person, the community will still be remembering and celebrating our loved ones and caregivers impacted by Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia,”organizers said in a news release.

“On Saturday, we will be meeting online on our virtual platform, and participants will also be setting up their own gardens at home or in their workplace.”

Please visit www.alz.org/walk to sign up for the Hawaii Island walk, or contact Rebecca Halloran at rmhalloran@alz.org.

There also will be a Promise Garden set up from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Big Island FCU on Lono Street in Hilo. Please stop by and give the organizers a honk, shaka or wave.

Here is a personal story from Faith Liu, a Walk to End Alzheimer’s-Hawaii Island walk participant since 2014: “The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is a must for me ever single year since my mother, Hope, was stricken with this disease. My passion for the cause furthered when Alzheimer’s affected my husband’s grandpa, Mac, as well. Seeing both family members deteriorating so fast was very shocking to me. The change in both Hope and Mac’s personality, appearance and our personal relationship was devastating.

“Although they both have passed, I know that others in our community feels the same pain. Seeing how much support there is out there now, especially with social media-there is comfort knowing there are support groups, educational talks, websites, and walks in your area to bring awareness to Alzheimer’s. Whether we walk in person or virtually as it will be this year, participating makes me feel good and that we are all in this together.”

More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, a leading cause of death in the United States.

Additionally, more than 11 million family members and friends provide care to people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. In Hawaii alone, there are more than 100,000 people impacted by this disease.