August 11, 2008

I’ve posted about the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk a couple of times before over the last couple of years. There are a few “causes” I try and support. MS is one of them and Alzheimer’s is another. I always try and donate something, even if very small to the Montel Williams foundation and the Alzheimer’s Association but I also post about them here at the site. Last year I donated my custom van to the Alzheimer’s Association. It’s probably a good thing too considering the cost of gas right now…

Anyhow, the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk is the country’s biggest fundraiser for Alzheimer’s research. There are walks in over 600 different places around the country. Although the walks take place at different times of the year they are usually during the fall and are around two or three miles. The closest one to me is actually during the weekend I will be on vacation and out of town in October but there are several more in Kennesaw and Atlanta on different weekends.

Did you know that the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S. is now Alzheimer’s Disease? Someone new is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease every 71 seconds. That’s pretty scary and it’s not just something that occurs in old people. That’s sort of a myth. While it’s most common in people 65 and older even folks much younger than that can have it happen to them. Some notable folks that have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s include of course Ronald Reagan and Charlton Heston in addition to Terry Pratchett, Harold Wilson and Rita Hayworth.

Go check out the links I gave you and get involved if you have the inclination. They are always looking for teams, team captains and individuals to participate and even if you can’t walk in one of the events they will always take donations!