Page 120 - Coffee County

was no way to even know what to expect day- to-day. Our journey with Papa has allowed us to learn more about the disease, explore treatment methods, and, most importantly, realize we are not alone in this fght. As people hear about our journey with Papa, they slowly begin to open up their hearts to us and share their stories.

There is no doubt that Alzheimer’s disease is tragic and its number of victims is on the rise. Since I began researching the disease, I have learned how the disease seems to silence families, caregivers, and victims. Families do whatever possible to protect their loved ones from any embarrassment associated with the disease. I have also learned that silence is not an effective weapon against Alzheimer’s disease. We must join together; we must share our stories with each other.

I decided to turn to the Alzheimer’s Association to help our family get connected to others dealing with the similar issues. I signed us up for the Memory Walk in Tifton, GA. We all joined together with matching t-shirts and spent the morning walking for Papa. The Memory Walk was a refreshing experience for us. It was encouraging to see teams and families joined together with the same purpose: to end Alzheimer’s disease.

118 Coffee County magazine

There is no doubt that Alzheimer’s disease is tragic and its number of victims is on the rise. Since I began researching the disease, I have learned how the disease seems to silence families, caregivers, and victims. Families do whatever possible to protect their loved ones from any embarrassment associated with the disease. I have also learned that silence is not an effective weapon against Alzheimer’s disease. We must join together; we must share our stories with each other.