In 2015, I lost my grandmother Dorothy. The last couple years of her life, her Alzheimer's got progressively worse. She had trouble remember names, places, etc. It broke my heart, to not be able to do anything to fix it for her. I'm walking in memory of her.

Also - those who have a parent, brother, sister or child with Alzheimer's are more likely to develop the disease. The risk increases if more than one family member has the illness. When diseases tend to run in families, either heredity (genetics) or environmental factors, or both, may play a role. This means there's a good chance my mother will develop it, as well as myself. Hopefully, by the time Abby becomes a senior, enough research will have been completed to prevent her from suffering too much with this disease.

By fundraising and participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer's, everything that I've raised will help contribute to research to learn more about how to slow down, and/or prevent this terrible disease.

I'm helping reclaim the future for millions by participating in the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's(R). Currently, more than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's and that number is expected to grow to as many as 16 million by 2050. Our future is at risk unless we can find a way to change the course of this disease.

The end of Alzheimer's disease starts with you. Please make a donation to help the Alzheimer's Association advance research into methods of treatment, prevention and, ultimately, a cure.

Thank you for joining the movement!