2008-09-07

Memory Walk raises money, awareness

Photo by Amber Sigman, Special to The Courier-Journal
Participating in the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk held yesterday at Waterfront Park were, from left, Evelyn Kesterson, Gale Coleman and Carolyn Cressman.

By Antwon Pinkston
apinkston@courier-journal.com

Mary-Jane Miller's husband, Frank Miller, battled Alzheimer's disease for years, but died the day after Christmas last year.

"He was the most wonderful person I've ever known," Miller said. "But to see him suffer like that, it was hard on the family and very emotional. I wouldn't want anyone to go through what we did." More than 20 members of the Miller family and 2,500 others participated in the 19th annual Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk at Waterfront Park yesterday. Participants circled the Waterfront's Great Lawn to raise awareness and money.
The Miller family raised $1,297 that will go toward more research into a cure and provide care and support for relatives of Alzheimer's patients. Mark Overall said his family has raised more than $900 for the Alzheimer's Association. He said his mother, Mable Overall, was diagnosed with the disease seven years ago. "We wanted to raise the money for research so it will help others in the future have a better life," he said.

Cathy Nagy said she and her father, Lou Walker, and other family members noticed memory loss, depression and mood swings two years before her mother, Cathy Walker, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 1997. "She was a very active woman and we knew she wasn't herself," said Nagy, a member of the board of directors for the Alzheimer's Association's Greater Louisville and Southern Indiana chapter. "It's starts out as a mental disease first, then physical. It's difficult because you're saying goodbye to your family member slowly."

Forty percent of the donations raised at the walk will be sent to the Alzheimer's Association's national office in Chicago for research. The rest will go to the association's greater Kentucky and Southern Indiana chapter to fund programs and services for families and caregivers. With so many participants coming together for a good cause, Tammie Hardy, special events director for the local chapter, said they hope to raise more than last year's $275,000 and reach $300,000 from the Louisville walk. "This is the first of nine walks we will have for cities in Kentucky and Indiana within the next two months," Hardy said.

Other cities included in the walk are Elizabethtown, Lexington, Ashland, London and Paducah in Kentucky and Evansville, Greenville and Tell City in Indiana. According to the Alzheimer's Association, 17,000 families in the Louisville metro area are affected by the disease, which is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Other information, including how the disease affects both the older and younger generation, was available at the Memory Walk. "It's very difficult for families to deal with, especially if you don't know that much information about it," said Dee Anna Esslinger, the local chapter's vice president of development. "We just hope this walk can bring more comfort to families and provide what they need to know." Readers can reach reporter Antwon Pinkston at (502) 582-4241.