We’re looking for volunteers to help with the Chicago Marathon. If you can help, please contact Director, Volunteers, Louie Iovane at liovane@alz.org. This event is fun and inspiring whether you’re a participant or an observer so please consider helping us as we cheer on our fabulous ALZ Stars team as they push themselves to the limit to help end Alzheimer’s!
Help support runners like Ryan… who’s mother, Liz was diagnosed in 2005 with early-onset Alzheimer’s.
My mother, Liz was diagnosed in 2005 with early-onset Alzheimer’s. She had always been the head of our family in many ways– She was in charge. She kept everything together. She was our glue. She was the main disciplinarian in our house, she was the head chef, she was the chauffeur. She was the ethics teacher and the mom who made us all get up early on Sunday to be in church. She was our grade school’s secretary. She was also the CFO and maintained the family finances, as well as the finances and inventory of my father’s business. When I bought a house last year, I called my dad to ask for some advice. He said “I’m not really sure son, when we bought our houses your mom was always the one that did that stuff.” So although my mom was a kind caring, sweet lady and mother, she was also a strong capable woman who was apparently quite a negotiator. My mom emanated what many mothers do to their children–that she could do everything. And she did.
It came as quite a surprise to us when we started to notice different things malfunctioning in her memory and her capabilities. When she couldn’t run the cash register at her part-time job anymore, we decided to take her to the doctor.
It’s very hard to watch someone you know go through this. For the first few years I was in denial. I spent 2008 in Iraq, where I served as a medic. After returning home I decided to run the Chicago Marathon. At that time, I had no idea about the work that the Alzheimer’s Association did, or that I could even raise money for charity. It had simply never been on my radar prior to my mom’s diagnosis, not something into which I had put much thought. As I was signing up for the marathon, I saw that I could run for a charity, so I decided to choose a charity and that’s when I discovered the ALZ-Stars.
I had no doubt in my mind I was meant to do this at this time. It resonated with me. So in 2009 I ran my first marathon and started my journey of raising money for Alzheimer’s research. Since then I have run three more Chicago Marathon’s. I have also run countless other marathons in different locations and I have now broken into ultramarathons. As crazy as my fiancé Abbie thinks I am, I have completed several 50 mile races and made my first attempt at a 100 mile race this year in August. I have found that running helps me deal with the pain and the sorrow that is born from watching someone you love slowly disappear. The more my mom’s disease progresses, the more miles I find myself running.
All the miles I put in are for my mom….. and all of the work I do is for my mom, but more importantly, my hope has always been to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s, so that other families do not have to endure what my family is currently enduring. I started my annual charity dinner in 2010 and I have raised approximately 10,000 for this cause. I will continue my running and my efforts and I want to thank each and every one of you for your caring and for your efforts.
Click here and volunteer today!
http://www.optimumseniorcare.com/services/alzheimerscare.php