Walk to defeat Alzheimer's disease attracts hundreds of people to Decatur to celebrate life, a war cry | Education

Hendriksen is one of hundreds of people who have gathered at Fairview Park, for similar reasons, as part of the Walk to End Alzheimer's Disease.

Families, friends and people with the disease came together to show their solidarity. The march is a national initiative with events organized locally across the country. In Decatur, teams raised nearly $ 86,000 to help find a cure, the organizers said.

In Illinois alone, 220,000 people are currently struggling with Alzheimer's disease. In the United States, there are five million cases diagnosed. Sixteen million family members and loved ones are unpaid caregivers. And the disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the country.

The walk was a good way to perpetuate the legacy of his mother, Hendrickson said.

"We are celebrating it," he said. It's a celebration of his life. We are going back to organize a party and celebrate it. "

Hendriksen said he hoped the walk could raise awareness about the disease. He added that it was also a good opportunity to network with people who had experienced many of the same experiences.

"It's good to give advice and share what we have experienced with other people," he said. In fighting against the disease, "it is good to get as much information as possible".

In general, Hendriksen is happy that people are starting to realize that Alzheimer's is a deadly disease.

"For so long, they did not link deaths to Alzheimer's disease and now they say their deaths are due to Alzheimer's disease," he said.

Jennifer Dahn, executive director of the comfort dog organization PawPrint Ministries, was with her group to support Stephanie Augustine, who is currently battling Alzheimer's disease. The service dogs visit him every Monday and Dahn says they are brightening his day.

"She likes comfort dogs and they make such a difference in her day," Dahn said. "For us, being able to bring the comforting dogs, comfort them and bring them some joy, that's great."

Dahn said his team knew that Alzheimer's was a difficult disease and was trying to help everyone affected.

"We really have to support those who are going through this battle," Dahn said. "It takes a village to make a difference."

Scott Busboom, co-host of the Talk 101 FM morning show, was the event host and organized a ceremony before the march.

"One day, we will end this disease," he said. "The Alzheimer's disease is not going to back down and we should not be doing it either."

Participants wore colorful flowers to show the reasons for their march on Saturday. The orange flowers meant someone who supports the cause. The purple flower meant a person living with the loss of a loved one because of Alzheimer's disease. Yellow represented people caring for someone with the disease. And blue flowers showed people living with the disease.

A white flower was also worn during the walk to represent the goal of the walk and the dreams of many people – to find a cure.

"A white flower representing the first survivor of Alzheimer's disease," Busboom said.