Muskingum County Walk to End Alzheimer’s

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The Muskingum County Walk to End Alzheimer’s happened Saturday and it was the largest in Zanesville to date.

Over 400 people attended the event and over $40,000 was raised to help support caregivers and research. The Alzheimer’s Association is hoping to raise funds with this event as well as raise awareness in the community.

Andrew DeFratis the Communications and Public Policy Director for the Alzheimer’s Association at the Greater East Ohio Area Chapter was one of the many people who helped put the event together.

“Everyone has a reason to end Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death in Ohio and the country and it’s the only cause in the top 10 leading causes of death with no method of prevention, treatment or cure,” DeFratis said.

The event began with the Promise Garden Ceremony, which included a variety of flowers in the hands of different people throughout the room. The flowers colors each represented something else, the yellow flower is for caregivers, the orange flower is for someone who supports the cause even with no personal connection. The purple flower means that they lost someone they know and love and the blue flower represents those who are currently living with Alzheimer’s or some form of dementia.

“We’ve introduced the single white flower, which is symbolic of that first survivor of Alzheimer’s,” DeFratis said. “We dream of the day where we will have a sea of white flowers, not just the rainbow, but a sea of white flowers of people that have survived this disease and have been cured of this disease. So we’re hopeful to get to that day.”

DeFratis encourages people to reach out to Alzheimer’s Association if you are looking for free care or support. You can go to their website or call the 24/7 helpline at (800) 272-3900.