You're not alone: Walk to End Alzheimer's is Saturday

COEUR d’ALENE — Each flower has a meaning.

Orange represents advocacy. Yellow means you know someone or are a caregiver. Blue signifies that you have the disease. Purple represents a loved one lost to it.

And one white flower represents hope — the hope that someday soon, Alzheimer's disease will forever be eradicated.

"It's not just a disease for old people, and that's the frightening thing," said Leslie Woodfill, coordinator of the North Idaho Walk to End Alzheimer's. "Every 65 seconds, someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's or dementia."

Alzheimer's, a disease that destroys memories and mental function, is the sixth leading cause of death in Idaho, and it's the only leading cause of death that can't be prevented, slowed or cured.

According to the Alzheimer's Association's website, www.alz.org, 25,000 Idahoans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's, and that number is expected to reach 33,000 by 2025. About 83,000 unpaid family caregivers in Idaho provide support to their loved ones with dementia.

"There are people I've known of who are 29 who have this disease," Woodfill said. "My mom was 64."

The Walk to End Alzheimer's serves as an event for those living with the disease and their loved ones to come together and know they're not alone.

"There are other people in the community that are impacted like you are," Woodfill said. "It’s also for people that have the disease to know there's questions they're going to have and they'll have an opportunity to find those answers."

The walk is also for those taking care of Alzheimer's and dementia patients, as well as advocates who understand the impact of this heartbreaking disease.

"Caregiver support is so important," Woodfill said. "You think you can keep doing it, but you get to a stage where you can't."

This year's North Idaho Walk to End Alzheimer's begins with a ceremony at 9:45 a.m. Saturday in Riverstone Park, 1805 Tilford Lane in Coeur d'Alene. Registration will be open until 9 a.m. and the walk begins at 10 a.m.

The walk is free, but donations are accepted. Last year's event raised $52,000 for research, support groups, education classes, the 24/7 helpline and advocacy to urge the government to allocate funds for further Alzheimer's research. Edward Jones, a national investment firm, has given more than $12 million to support the cause.

This year, Woodfill said the North Idaho walk is hoping to raise $63,000.

"We're about 56 percent to goal," she said. "We need people to come in and register and make some donations."

Info: https://bit.ly/2QaU8SV