Why I Walk… Joanne’s story -Alzheimer’s – Optimum Senior Care – Chicago In Home
Joanne’s journey with Alzheimer’s began about 10 years ago when she and her family noticed her grandmother, Phyllis, was having a lot of memory issues. Phyllis was a homemaker and a woman who loved her community – she was a wife, a mother, a grandmother and a friend to many, with a smile known to brighten a room. At first, Joanne’s family didn’t suspect Alzheimer’s; they all just thought it was a sign of old age.
Joanne’s journey with Alzheimer’s began about 10 years ago when she and her family noticed her grandmother, Phyllis, was having a lot of memory issues. Phyllis was a homemaker and a woman who loved her community – she was a wife, a mother, a grandmother and a friend to many, with a smile known to brighten a room.
At first, Joanne’s family didn’t suspect Alzheimer’s; they all just thought it was a sign of old age. Eventually, her grandmother’s memory loss advanced to the point where she had severe paranoia, and Joanne’s grandpa could no longer take care of Phyllis by himself. Joanne’s grandmother spent almost 6 years in the nursing home and passed away from Alzheimer’s last December.
Phyllis is the reason Joanne has participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s the past 3 years, and will continue this year as the Quincy Walk to End Alzheimer’s Event Chair. Year after year, Joanne increases her fundraising goal, hoping we can find a cure. Her mom and sister travel hours to come to Quincy each year to participate with her.
Because Joanne’s grandmother loved to quilt and design some of her own pieces, Joanne is making a quilt, containing some of her grandmother’s fabric, to raise money for her Walk to End Alzheimer’s team. Joanne is selling tickets to raffle off the quilt and will draw the winner September 1, 2017. She hopes the quilt can raise at least $250 of her $2,000 Walk to End Alzheimer’s goal.
Joanne is participating in the Quincy Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday, September 16, 2017. Through the Walk, Joanne hopes that others become educated about Alzheimer’s disease, because it’s the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. She also hopes that others learn that it’s not just a disease of old age; you do not have to be 80 or 90 to develop Alzheimer’s.
Register for your local Walk to End Alzheimer’s today!
Join Joanne in her fight against Alzheimer’s and other dementias!