Walk gathers 1K in quest for first white flower in Alzheimer’s

Tappan Square was awash in purple Sept. 22 for an Alzheimer’s Association annual fundraiser to fight the disease that has yet to log a first survivor.

About 1,000 people gathered in the center of the park, on Main Street in Oberlin, bedecked in purple shirts for the seventh annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

The park was festooned with the colors purple, orange, yellow and blue in preparation for the annual event which is celebrating its third year in the venue.

Matt Siebert, co-chair of the committee which planned this year’s walk, said the goal of the event is to raise funds and awareness about the disease.

Siebert’s grandmother died from the disease after years of battling its debilitating effects.

The fundraiser was actually a combination of two walks, according to Siebert, a one-mile walk around the square and a just under three-mile walk which took participants through the neighborhood.

Though the cool temperatures and browning foliage made for a lovely walk in the park, the meaning of the goal of the walk was emphasized at nearly every turn.

During the opening ceremony, Nancy B. Udelson, president and CEO of the Association’s Cleveland chapter, spoke about the impact the Alzheimer’s disease has on not only those afflicted but caretakers, family members and the community.

“All of us here today have witnessed the devastation that comes with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia,” she said. “Many of you have been, or currently are caregivers and know all-toowell the unwelcome twists and turns that upend your lives.

“The number of people with this disease and the number of caregivers are growing way too quickly. The costs associated with this disease are staggering as well. Alzheimer’s is relentless, but so are we.”

According to the walk’s website, the fundraiser collected more than $115,000, which will “further the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association.”

Steve Kaplan, owner of local event sponsor Kaplan’s Furniture, described the search for a cure to the disease during the opening ceremony.

“What’s going on now with technology is very amazing,” he said. “There’s four things that’s helping stop the disease. Israel is the biggest developer now for treatments for it, and one is a pill being made and tested and the other one is a massage therapy.

According to Kaplan, in the United States the chief preventative measure is exercise and eating a healthy diet.

At the end of the opening ceremony, event committee co-chair Emily Bennett put a human face on the disease by explaining the seeming innocuous different colored flower pinwheels.

According to Bennett, the blue flowers represent those currently suffering from the disease, the yellow flowers represent those who are caregivers of those suffering from the disease, the orange flowers represent those who are advocates for those suffering the disease and the purple flowers represent those who have lost someone to the disease.

After introducing individuals who are part of each of those groups, Bennett asked the assembled walkers to raise their flower pinwheels into the sky. As the gentle breeze set the petals in motion, more than one tear-stained eye could be made out amongst the crowd.

The number of those in tears grew as Bennett introduced the hoped-for fifth flower color: white.

“A white flower,” she said, her voice seeming to break. “That represents the first survivor of Alzheimer’s disease. Wouldn’t that be a beautiful addition to our garden? But, until that beautiful day happens, we will not back down. Each step we take in this fight is a step forward.

“We must continue to lead the way, because together we can end Alzheimer’s disease.”