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Residents from all over Brevard County gather in the village of Cocoa for Saturday's march against Alzheimer's disease.
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Hundreds of Brevardians participate in the March to end Alzheimer's disease Saturday in the village of Cocoa.(Photo: Craig Bailey / FLORIDA TODAY & # 39; HUI)
One after the other, the walkers picked up the colorful reels of flowers, holding them in a light breeze to create a sobering garden effect on the Cocoa Waterfront Park.
Blue if you have Alzheimer's disease or other dementia. Violet if you have lost a person with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia; yellow if you are supporting or caring for someone with some type of dementia; and orange to show that you support the cause and want a world without disease.
More: Hundreds of people participate in Walk to End Alzheimer's Disease
Jack Shepard of Barefoot Bay wore an orange blossom Saturday morning, one of more than 500 people who participated in the annual Walk to End Alzheimer's Disease – Space Coast.
The wife of Shepard, aged 60, is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Her daughter-in-law, 55, was diagnosed with early Alzheimer's disease.
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Hundreds of Brevardians participate in the March to end Alzheimer's disease Saturday in the village of Cocoa. (Photo: Craig Bailey / FLORIDA TODAY & # 39; HUI)
Participants in this march and other fundraising walks "give me hope" for more awareness, advocacy and, one day, healing, Shepard said. At the end of the walk, $ 82,656.42 had been raised, which is 65% of the $ 127,000 goal. donations are always accepted.
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"From time to time, my daughter-in-law shows a spark, she shows that she recognizes someone … she's only 55 years old," he said. "She has not had a voice for five years, and I always go for a walk in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where they are … I do it for them, for all of us."
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Hundreds of Brevardians participate in the March to end Alzheimer's disease Saturday in the village of Cocoa. (Photo: Craig Bailey / FLORIDA TODAY & # 39; HUI)
The event kicked off with the words of representatives of the Alzheimer's Association and speakers telling personal stories, followed by a 2-mile walk in and around Cocoa Village, or a shorter walk. Some participants tore while holding their reels in the air and the host mentioned hoping that someday there will be a white flower for the first survivor of Alzheimer 's disease.
It was great to see so many people with a common goal, said Dawn Wade, Digital Communications Manager for the Alzheimer's Association, Central and North Florida.
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Hundreds of Brevardians wear their flowers as a tribute to a person with Alzheimer's disease during the Walk to End Alzheimer's Disease, held Saturday in the village of Cocoa. (Photo: Craig Bailey / FLORIDA TODAY & # 39; HUI)
"It's what we need – more voices to talk about their cause, to tell their story," said Wade.
"We have 540,000 Floridians living with this disease, so seeing so many people turn out to be great, and exactly what we need to end the Alzheimer's disease."
More: Share your long farewell story about dementia
At each stage of the walk, people shared their intensely personal stories.
The birthday of Kathleen Govekar fell on the day of the walk.
A participant in three walks, Govekar lost her mother, Garnet Rose, to Alzheimer's four years ago. Rose suffered from the debilitating disease, said Govekar, for at least 10 years.
And Govekar said that walking on his own birthday – a "happy birthday" on his head and pushing his grandchildren in a stroller – seemed right.
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Hundreds of Brevardians participate in the March to end Alzheimer's disease Saturday in the village of Cocoa. (Photo: Craig Bailey / FLORIDA TODAY & # 39; HUI)
"It's a great cause, a wonderful exercise and it's helpful to see other people who have experienced the same thing," said Govekar, a member of the Miles of Memories team, MOM.
"You feel like you're alone, but you find out there are other people who have survived and survived."
More: The Long Goodbye: I'll remember it all for you
Govekar's daughter, Kassie Darling, is a nurse.
Facing her own family's fight against the disease "gives me more empathy," she said.
"When we were there, we did not realize that many resources were available," Darling said. "I've used some of the things we've learned to help other people, and I want to work with an older population, I can understand them on a more personal level."
Another walker, Annette O Donnell, has seen the Alzheimer's disease attack generation after generation of her family.
First, it was his grandparents.
Now, it's his mother.
So O Donnell walked with her husband, Ken, and their lab, Murphy, 2 years old.
"It's for everyone, absolutely," she said, repelling tears.
More: The number of Alzheimer's is increasing in Brevard, Florida: study
"But one day it could be me … I'm not just selfish, but we want to solve it now, before I get there."
Her husband agreed.
"There are promising studies and good research, but we have not had that breakthrough yet," he said.
For Annette O Donnell, there is no harm in looking in the sky for hope.
"I still hope my friends in the space will do something," she said. "Why not? Look at everything they've learned up there."
Contact Kennerly at 321-242-3692 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @bybrittkennerly or on Facebook.com/bybrittkennerly.
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