For the past 5 years I gathered with family, friends, neighbors and strangers to attend Memory Walk. Thousands of people join together each year to share this rewarding experience. I love being able to meet others that have gone through the same journey that I have and to lend a helping hand and words of encouragement to those just starting on this long and often painful path.

Everyone affected by Alzheimer’s disease needs to know that they are not alone. There are people who are prepared to help them through this very trying time. I know that I would have not made it through my journey with Alzheimer’s without the assistance of the Alzheimer’s Association. I want others to know that there is help in our communities. It’s a phone call away. Don’t make this long journey alone.

I became involved with the Alzheimer’s Association after my mother was diagnosed with dementia in the early 1990’s. For the next 15 years I cared for her in my home until the day she passed. I watched her slowly regress from the strong woman who raised me into a child-like figure needing care 24 hours a day. Through it all the Alzheimer’s Association was there for me — a friendly voice with words of encouragement, words of wisdom, advising me to go to support groups, and to educate myself about the disease. Education is empowerment and it will make your journey much easier.

Memory Walk is the most important public awareness and fund raising event for the NYC Chapter. It enables the Chapter to continue offering much needed programs and services to those individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementias and their families in the New York area going through what could be the most difficult time of their lives. Donations and volunteering are what keeps non-profit charitable organizations afloat. Memory Walk provides the opportunity to give both.

Memory Walk is held in many different cities and towns throughout the United States. It brings together people from all walks of life, demonstrating that Alzheimer’s can affect anyone, regardless of race, age, sex, or financial station. Everybody that attends Memory Walk is making a difference. Many people walk in honor or memory of their loved ones. I am walking in memory of my mom, Christine Spinelli, and to honor everyone at the Alzheimer’s Association who were there for me when I desperately needed help. My goal is to continue to raise money and to spread the word that there is help out there and it’s a phone call away.

On October 21st, come meet the NYC Alzheimer’s community at Memory Walk 2007. Meet and make new friends that will walk this path with you. You can join my team, Band of Angels, start your own team, or walk as an individual. We are walking towards a cure. Come join us, it is a wonderful experience!

— Geraldine Gagliardo

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