Walk to End Alzheimer’s

Please support and continue to support the Alzheimer’s Association, the memories we made, good or bad, is still apart of us; not to be lost or forgotten.

Last weekend, I participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Reston, VA (Metro DC area) and it was great. It started off raining/ pouring on us but we had ABC7s meteorologist Bob Ryan there and he perfectly predicted that the clouds would pass us by in about 5-10 minutes and it did. We started and finished the walk successfully! Throughout the walk, it felt like we were running a marathon…the volunteers cheered us on at each corner and crossing, “keep going! You’re doing great! Thank you!” all we were missing were the bottles of water they’d hand to you as you’re sweating through that 10K.

I had been a supporter of the Alzheimer’s association since my senior year of High School. My grandma had past away from it on this day, 6 years ago, Columbus Day. I remember that I was at my computer in my room, chatting away on what I haven’t used in ages; aim, and then hearing a call. I just felt that it was something bad, something inside of me just knew it so I eavesdropped into that conversation that my grandmother had picked up on. I knew but I was in denial, I prayed, but I was in denial, I had fought hard to think that it was something else; it had to be something else. I was wrong. My grandmother didn’t know how to tell me, but she did somehow and…I don’t think I processed it, to be honest. I didn’t feel much, I didn’t cry, I was fine. Or so I thought. The time came for the wake and we were all gathered with our group of 48 family members along with a pastor and the guests, at the funeral home all dressed in black. My cousin and I were in charge of looking after the kids because they didn’t know what was going on and our family didn’t want them to know too much either, after all, they are still just kids. I stayed strong or so I thought, till it was our family’s turn to say our last goodbyes to our beloved grandma. We walked up together and I still remember this day, tears would not stop falling as I took my last steps to her, it was so hard that I couldn’t stop those tears it just kept running and I think that was the first time everyone in my family had seen me that way. I remember my aunt coming up to me and patting me and hugging me and my tears continually streaming down my cheeks 5 minutes after, 10 minutes after, 30 minutes after. I should’ve been dehydrated by then at that rate. Anyway, my point is, this is the grandma who raised me, who I lived with all my life, who cooked dinner for me every night, who signed my parental guardian papers, who signed my hw every night, who was there to stand by my side when no one else was. Grandma, it was you. When she started to forget everyone because of Alzheimer’s me and my brother were one of the last few that she still kept on and remembered till the end, because she raised us, because she loved us. That debt I can never repay, that love I can never show her again, that woman who was and is the person that I will always look up to will always still be here, in my heart and in my thoughts. These memories that we all create with our loved ones are so precious, are so cherished, are so sacred that we shouldn’t ever lose them. It’s what creates us, it’s what makes us strive for more so we have to fight for everyone, for us, this disease that threatens to take that all away. We have to fight and stand strong. Support the Alzheimer’s Association if you haven’t already, let us remember and cherish what’s in us and what made us.