The local version of the 2019 Walk to End Alzheimer’s was held Saturday morning after an opening ceremony at the Manitowoc-Two Rivers YMCA. Kate Kahles, program manager for the Wisconsin Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, tells SeehaferNews.com about the meaning of the 5 colored flowers held by volunteers. “Orange is for people who support a world without Alzheimer’s, yellow is for people caring for someone with Alzheimer’s, blue is for people living with dementia or Alzheimer’s, and purple is for people who have lost someone from the disease. We also this year have a white flower which signifies hope.”
It’s estimated that 110,000 people in Wisconsin are living with the disease, which progressively destroys memory and other important mental functions. Don and Cathy Becker of Kiel were among the more than 200 people who gathered at the Y. Don received his diagnosis of early-stage Alzheimer’s in April. Don’s mother died from the disease, so he and his siblings always had the idea in their head of “OK who’s next?”, so when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Don says it was “more of a distinction than a revelation.”
His wife Cathy is Don’s caregiver, and she admits that she needs to be more involved with caretaker groups. “I find myself impatient sometimes,” she said. “Which is not his fault. That’s on me. It has not been easy.”
A speaker during the ceremony, State Assemblyman Paul Tittl, shared a personal story and hopes for a cure. “Although my mother never went to college, her brain went to Harvard for research, and I think that’s where we find an end to cure Alzheimer’s, not through more government spending. “
The Manitowoc representative in Madison has given support to creation of both an Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Grant and a dementia specialist certification program.
