Why I Walk

I've spent the last few days working like crazy, exhausted and now a little sick. And I still haven't quite hit the halfway point of my week. But that's not important. Its easy to get caught up in everything you're doing and forgetting to focus on the reason. I work because I like what I do and I enjoy being part of the working world. And Yes, I work on the Walk to End Alzheimer's but that's not Why I Walk. It's not the reason why I've made sure I've walked the distance at the three smaller borough walks (Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens) even if I had to wait until everyone else had gone home to do so. And it's not why I'll complete the Walk to End Alzheimer's in Riverside Park, even if my day will start at 4:45am and end who knows when.

This is Why I Walk

I walk because Alzheimer's is an evil disease that steals a person from themselves and loved ones.
I walk because I need to Take Action.
I walk for the Woman at the Bronx Walk with a the broken arm who still made her way to walk in support of her mother.
I walk for the Family at the Brooklyn Walk who came out 20 people strong to honor their once strong patriarch.
I walk for the man from Rhode Island who came to the Queens Walk because he lost his 60 year old sister to early onset Alzheimer's.
I walk for the woman I hugged today after she told me tearfully that she was determined to Walk for her grandmother this Sunday... unless her grandma passed away from the final stage of this disease in upcoming days.
I walk for every person who has lost a loved one to Alzheimer's because I know that grief started years before the actual death.

I walk for my Grandmother.
I walk because I hate that this disease may forever cloud my memories of this woman who helped raise me.

I walk because this woman who always took such pride in me has occasionally looked at me with active dislike and distrust.  
I walk because I'm tired of Alzheimer's disease stealing my sleep and my ability to be care or guilt free.
I walk because I'm scared of seeing and being close to this disease ever again: in my friends, family or Myself.
I walk because when I say the Serenity Prayer in my head as a personal mantra, I know walking is what I must do.

I cannot change the disease, its course or its impact. But I can hopefully change the awareness of my friends and help support the Association trying to help all those impacted. If you can, please donate to my Walk page and help support all the reasons why I've walked around a field in the Bronx, on a boardwalk in Brooklyn, at the site of the old World's Fair in Queens and this Saturday along a river in Manhattan. You can donate here. Thanks.