I'm walking in memory of my aunt Eleanor, who helped raise my six sisters and me. 

Throughout her life, Eleanor was there for us and always thrilled to be surrounded by family and friends. She was showing some signs of dementia while she lived in her long-term care facility. And the isolation caused by the pandemic only made her dementia worse and she deteriorated rapidly. We lost her in the summer of 2020.

My sisters were always there for Eleanor, serving as caregivers to help her when she lived independently. When she moved into the nursing home and was unable to walk, they supplemented her care by always being there to help her and staying in close contact with the staff and her hospice nurses. During the isolation from the pandemic, they were outside to visit her often through her window, even though she was unsure why they couldn't be together in person.

While these past two years have been incredibly challenging for families supporting those with dementia, we also have seen the first-ever possible treatment approved for use by the FDA - and that is giving us all hope that we can one day treat this disease like we do others.

We need to continue to support families who serve as caregivers, especially during this difficult time. And we need to keep growing the amount of research that will one day help end this disease. That is what the money raised through the Walk helps us do.

I'm proud of the work we do and grateful for the support of this community to help us in our work. Together, we can end Alzheimer's disease. 

Please make a gift to help support our work here in Central Ohio and to drive critical dementia science breakthroughs.

Thank you for joining me in the fight against Alzheimer's!