Community gathers at Lake Eola for Walk to End Alzheimer’s, raising money for research
Participants at Lake Eola joined the Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday morning, raising funds for research and resources to support those affected by the disease.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
The community came together at Lake Eola on Saturday morning for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, an event dedicated to raising funds for research and resources to support families impacted by the disease.
WESH 2 and CW18 were the official sponsors of the event, which brought participants together to walk, remember loved ones, and contribute to the cause.
“They are making strides in terms of not only testing but finally finding drugs that will at least slow down the progression of it,” said George Diaz, a walker and volunteer who lost his mother to Alzheimer’s in 2009.
Diaz described the day as “a bittersweet day, but very much an empowering day.”
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than seven million people are living with Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia.
That includes the father-in-law of volunteer Connie Kulp. He was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2016.
“I walk for my father-in-law,” Kulp said. “My mother-in-law will tell you the things she misses the most as being able to have a conversation with her husband, to talk about their day, talk about any issues or good things, and because he just doesn’t understand any of that.”
During the walk, participants carried flowers in different colors, each representing their connection to the cause: blue for those living with the disease, purple for those who have lost someone, yellow for caregivers, and orange for supporters of the cause.
The Alzheimer’s Association noted that changes in the brain can begin years before symptoms appear, and the disease worsens over time.
“Right now, the only medications (are) at the early onset, early stage,” Kulp said. “The earlier you find out, the better.”