I wanted to share why I am so dedicated to this walk. My grandfather was always my favorite grandparent. He was an art professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University and a member of the church choir. After he retired from teaching, he continued to practice his art in his home studio. When the grandkids came to visit it was always a good time. He would make hats out of newspapers, musical instruments from trash, and help us make our own pottery. We didn't realize at first that anything was wrong. He was always an eccentric artist so the strange little things he did went unnoticed. I first noticed something was wrong when he said, "To hell with him!" when speaking of my aunt's ex-husband. Grandpa never used foul language, not even hell. As time went on he would button his coat wrong, wear inappropriate clothing, and stopped recognizing family. A few months before he died he was following Sunshine around the house just smiling. I asked him if he knew that was my baby, and he said yes. I could tell by the look on his face that he didn't know who she was, and he didn't know who I was either. He drew a picture on my Kindle that day. It is probably the last thing he ever drew.

Thank you for joining the fight against Alzheimer's!