PORT TOWNSEND — There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but about 75 people got up early on Saturday to support those who are looking to defeat the condition that robs its victims of their memory and personality.
There were fewer people than projected, but the funds raised exceeded expectations.
The second annual Port Townsend Memory Walk raised $4,650 in contributions, an amount that will be matched dollar for dollar by Caring Places Management.
And the contributions, according to organizer Karen Trahan, are still trickling in.
“We may not find a cure for Alzheimer’s in our lifetime,” Trahan said prior to the 2-mile fundraising walk.
“But hopefully, our children and our grandchildren will not have to live with this disease.”
“Everyone has been touched by Alzheimer’s,” said Mayor Michelle Sandoval.
“As we get older, the things that are most valuable are our memories, and you can’t recover from the loss of the comfort of these memories.”
Sandoval said during the aging process, many people suffer broken bones, but “you can come back from a broken bone.
“You can’t come back from Alzheimer’s.”
Cheryl Bentley of Port Townsend lost her mother to Alzheimer’s last month.
A retired psychologist, she treated Alzheimer’s patients for several years, but it didn’t help her when the disease hit closer to home.
“When it’s someone close to you, you forget everything you know,” she said.
“It’s a terrible ordeal watching them die, little by little.”
Those who want to contribute but could not attend the Memory Walk can mail checks to Trahan care of San Juan Villa, 112 Castellano Way, Port Townsend, WA 98368.
For more information about Alzheimer’s, visit www.alz.org.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
