Houston Walk to End Alzheimer's 2014

Yesterday was important to me.

A few weeks ago I got an email about the Houston Walk to End Alzheimer's. I knew I had to be a part of this. Alzheimer's is not only a disease that millions of people around the world are suffering from, it's something that I have suffered from...and continue to suffer from to this day. You see, I not only watched my grandmother on my father's side go through the stages of this horrible disease and ultimately lose that battle... I'm now taking a front row seat as it rears its' ugly head again to someone whom I love dearly. It is hard watching your grandparents and parents age. It's even harder when you are powerless and unable to stop the process.... The older we get, unfortunately they get older as well. I am blessed to have had my parents for all of these years, and I know there are many others who have not been that fortunate. My daddy is 81 years old. My mother is in her sixties.... it's life that they won't be around forever. But everyone deserves to age with dignity. Alzheimer's is one of those diseases that just makes a person not who they used to be. It steals their memories. It takes away their sense of security. It strips them of their power. It's just not fair......

I know it takes time to make a difference, and a cure will not be available overnight. But I still felt as if I needed to play my part since I have been touched directly by the illness.
I hate feeling helpless. So I decided to help.

Yesterday marked 33 days until the actual walk on November 1st! Sooooo, I decided to start a team called Make It Last Forever to walk and raise funds for the Alzheimer's Association. This organization provides money for research, assistance to those suffering from the disease, as well as information to teach families of those with Alzheimer's on how to care for their loved ones. I'm trying to build my team and raise as much money as I can for the organization.

Since I'm all about symbolism and numbers, yesterday felt like a great day to kick off that 33 countdown. I'll be turning 33 this year, and to date I'm 33% to my personal goal of $300 raised for the organization.

Although today marks 32 days, this will still be the part where I place my shameless plug and ask everyone reading this post to consider joining my team... You can be on the team even if you aren't in the Houston area... But if you are in Houston, definitely coming out to walk with us on November 1st... But if you don't want to be a part of my actual team, I encourage you to consider donating to us, or even reading up on the organization so you can show support in other ways or see if they have a walk in your city!

With the walk being on November 1st, I'm considering it the official kick-off to my birthday month and would love the support & encouragement as we do our part to be a part of something bigger than ourselves!