More than 1,100 residents from across Sarasota-Manatee gathered at Nathan Benderson Park for Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Nov. 2, participating for those living and lost to Alzheimer’s and other dementia.
“I am ready for a cure,” event chair Cassidy Junot said. “I have been participating for over 10 years now and it’s time. It’s time we find a cure.”
In Florida, more than 580,000 people are living with Alzheimer’s and 840,000 unpaid caregivers. New treatments to help slow the progression of the disease have been approved as recently as July and are giving families hope for the first time.
To date, the Walk to End Alzheimer’s has raised more than $270,000 to benefit care, support, research, advocacy and awareness initiatives through the Alzheimer’s Association Florida Gulf Coast Chapter (alz.org/flgulfcoast).
Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disease that impacts thinking, memory and behavior. Nearly 7 million Americans are living with the disease in the U.S. Additionally, more than 11 million family members and friends provide care to people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.