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Meet Some Very Special People — Up Close
and Personal
On a gorgeous Fall day, the community came out
to support the Chapter and to honor their loved
ones. We asked Nick Emerson to catch up with
some of our Memory Walk Team Captains and Volunteers
to find out why they decided to “step up” this year!
Nick Emerson (NE): What motivated you to come out
and join us today?
Edyth Alexander (EA), Team Captain of “Team
Alexander”: I’m walking in memory of my father and
mother who both died of Alzheimer’s. This is my fifth
walk and my third as Captain of “Team Alexander.”
I have been contributing to the Alzheimer’s Association
since the early ‘90s — since my father first showed symptoms
— and I’ve tried to be more involved the last few years
because I find that a lot of people my age and a lot of
my friends have parents who also have or had Alzheimer’s.
We’ve been in touch for many other reasons as well, but
they’ve always donated to my team effort. This is also
such a beautiful time of year and I love being out here at
Riverside Park and seeing friends, old and new alike.
 David Chung (DC), Memory Walk Volunteer: I want
to volunteer to help out any Association I can. Right
now I work with children and my friend works with the
Alzheimer’s Association - he asked me to come and help
and I said yes without hesitation.
Lynn Feldman (LF), Chapter Volunteer: My dad had
Alzheimer’s and subsequently I volunteer at the Chapter to
give back for all the help they gave me when he was sick.
Wendy Samuel (WS), Team Member of N.Y.C.A.R.E.:
Actually, I think this is my fifth or sixth year walking. I started
doing it because a friend of mine on the N.Y.C.A.R.E. Team
suggested it. My mother and a good friend of mine had
Alzheimer’s. I thought it was a good way to raise money.
NE: Can you tell us more about your personal
connection to Alzheimer’s disease?
EA: My dad first started showing symptoms in the
mid-‘90s. I’m a registered nurse so I became aware of the
difficulties he was having early on. Of course, he didn’t
acknowledge them — maybe it was his wife, she was in denial for a long time. It took quite a while to get her to
have him properly diagnosed and seek services for him.
That was a difficult time for all of us.
He passed in 1997 and, immediately after that, in 2000,
my mother who was about nine years younger, started
showing symptoms as well. So my sister and I were, of
course, more aware and more educated. She had a tougher
time than our dad though, and despite how involved we
were with her care, she ended up in a nursing home and
passed in 2006.
I’ve been involved and I will continue to stay involved
because it’s a cause that I believe in and I’m concerned about
the fact that there may be a genetic component. That’s
something that a lot of people in their 60’s are concerned
about. So I will keep in touch with the Chapter.
 WS: I do have a personal connection. Although I’ve walked in years past, this year I’m walking in memory of
my mother who recently died in December, as well as in
honor of her caregivers who were with her for seven years
— just amazing women. I marvel at the kind of work they
do. It’s incredible to me.
NE: What has been your most gratifying volunteer
experience — either today or at another time — with the
New York City Chapter?
DC: This is my second time — the first time was
volunteering at Citi Field to help raise money by selling
the purple bracelets. Both experiences have been pretty
great. People are very nice — some people just donate
money and don’t take any bracelets or merchandise. It’s
just fantastic!
LF: I work at the Chapter once a week, and I was at the
Chapter this whole week leading up to the Walk, to help
prepare. I feel so grateful that I’m able to give back.
WS: Basically, I’m happy that I was able to raise as much
money as I did. I think [Team N.Y.C.A.R.E.] raised over
$7,000. It took a lot of work with about 33 or 34 people
who contributed.
EA: I work primarily with the New York City Chapter
of the Alzheimer’s Association at Memory Walk. I haven’t
really done too much during the year, but I did go to a
few meetings when both my parents were still alive to
get more information and to make the connection. But
I would volunteer in a heartbeat to do anything for this
organization. I would probably always be connected in
some way, shape or form.
NE: Were you helped by the Chapter?
EA: Yes, very much. As a matter of fact, some of the
people that I’ve met, including Jed Levine, have been very
supportive.
LF: I was helped greatly by the Chapter; that’s why I
give back. The information they gave me, the seminars and
the educational meetings were phenomenal.
WS: I’ve been helped by people who have some
involvement not with the Chapter, but who were in the
consortium N.Y.C.A.R.E. group. They’ve helped me find
doctors and caregivers as well as get general advice. But, I
understand that in order for them to survive they need the
Chapter, so that’s why I’m here.
NE: What message would you give to others to
motivate them to become more active in the fight against
Alzheimer’s disease?
EA: I think the most important thing is knowledge and
information. You really have to equip yourself with the
understanding of what this disease is all about, and how it
takes its toll — on the caregivers as well. Having been a
caregiver, I know the toll that it can take.
I think it’s about always remembering that when you
see these changes in people, it’s the disease talking and not
necessarily the person. And that’s very hard to do. My
father was stubborn and I thought he got what I perceived
as more stubborn, but in fact it was the disease talking.
Therefore, that is something you have to deal with that
can be very difficult. The Chapter has been very helpful
to me in terms of answering questions. I can call anybody
at anytime. I live in lower Manhattan so I can go in to the
office very easily as well.
DC: I don’t think it should be just to fight Alzheimer’s
— I mean it doesn’t have to directly affect you. I think we
should help out with any organization that we can.
LF: I have to think about that one… It’s so important
to give back to the community and to help as much as you
can. Spread advocacy, so that more people can be helped.
It is on the rise. It’s the number six cause of death in this
country. We need more people to get the word out.
WS: I think that there are more and more people
[diagnosed] every year. There is no cure, and the only way
we’re going to find a cure is to raise money. There are a lot
of people out there who aren’t as fortunate as my mother
and who really can use and benefit from the resources that
the Alzheimer’s Association has. The Association needs
funds. So, I think that there are a million reasons — or five
million reasons — the number of people who are living
with Alzheimer’s today.
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