I am honored to serve on the board of the Central Ohio Alzheimer's Association and see the amazing passion and dedication the staff and volunteers exhibit to help families when they need it most.

Alzheimer's & Dementia are the 6th leading cause of death in the US and affect more than 5 million people.  Each affected person has 2-3 full-time caregivers and there are thousands more that go undiagnosed each year.

The Walk to End Alzheimer's takes place in Central Ohio on September 26th and the 600 walks across the country are the world's largest fundraiser for Alzheimer's care, support and research. The walk is an amazing event that exudes hope that together we can find a cure.

This year I walk for two amazing people:

Gene (Pop) McKenna - Pop lived the last 10 years of his life with his daughter Julie as he described it "in a fog" unable to remember where was or where he lived.  Pop lived with demential with incredible grace but was robbed of the many great memories of his friends and family over his amazing 95 years.

Sister Mary Helen Rita, S.N.D - aka Aunt Mary.  Aunt Mary spent her life in service on many parishes in the Toledo area and the majority of her life serving communities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) building schools and educating young women.  Aunt Mary lived her last couple of years in a memory facility and while she would never boast about the amazing work she did - the impact she had on the people of PNG, and they on her, are worth remembering.

Who will you walk for?  Will you join me?