The Greater Missouri Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association invites families across Mid-Missouri to join the annual Walk to End Alzheimer's on Sept. 17 at the Missouri State Capitol.
At noon, families and supporters will make a 3-mile trek around the Capitol in honor of survivors and those who have passed on.
"Alzheimer's has so many faces, and no two people are going to have the same journey," said Mindy Horvis, Jefferson City walk manager for the Alzheimer's Association. "A few short years ago it was the seventh and now it's the sixth leading cause of death."
In Missouri, 16,000 people between ages 65-70 were reported suffering from Alzheimer's disease in 2016, according to Alzheimer's Association data. Care for the disease is projected to cost Americans a total of $259 billion in Medicaid, Medicare and out-of-pocket expenses this year, increased from $236 billion in 2016s.
For advocates like Christa Roehl and her son, Tommy, 13, joining the fight to end Alzheimer's is a personal mission.
Their journey began two years ago after Christa's mom fell and hit her head, which made her symptoms more apparent and impossible to ignore. Within six months, Christa's mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
"Prior to the fall, she had a lot of cognitive reserve, so to some extent my mom could mask her inability to remember things as sharply," Roehl said. "But after the fall, it was like trying to study with a migraine - you just can't do it anymore."
Eventually the family decided to move her to a living facility in Wisconsin. Since then, Roehl has sought ways to learn more about the disease.
She attended Alzheimer's Advocacy Day at the Capitol in April 2016, which later prompted her to attend group support sessions, meeting others willing to share their stories.
"I'm relatively new to the support groups, but once I shared my story people were asking me questions about parts of my journey as if I were the expert," Roehl said. "As I walked out of that meeting, I realized I can help people just by being there, sharing and just listening."
Roehl said this has empowered her not only to pass along the information to her dad, who is her mom's primary caregiver, but also to get her family involved.
"I'll do whatever I can do in order for my kids to not have to deal with this disease in their future," Roehl said. "We're just trying to raise awareness and get as many people as possible to support efforts of those who are fighting their battle."
Her son, Tommy, is helping raise funds for the upcoming Walk to End Alzheimer's and has already collected $100.
"You never know how many people have a connection to the disease," he said. "It just makes me happy to know that people care and are trying to fix this."
The local chapter's goal is to raise $54,000 this year toward care, support and research. With 242 participants currently registered, they have raised $47,836.72 so far.
"Unless we get many people as we can to support, raise funds and educate others, then nothing is going to change. We have the momentum. We've just got to to stick with it," Horvis said.
This year's walk will be one of the largest yet, with 450 people expected to attend, Horvis said. There isn't a registration fee, but participants are encouraged to donate.
At the end of the walk, participants will receive a flower from the promise garden - colored to represent their connection to the disease.
For example, blue represents someone with Alzheimer's or dementia, while purple is for someone who has lost a loved one to the disease. Yellow represents someone currently supporting or caring for someone with Alzheimer's, and orange is for everyone who supports the cause and vision of a world without Alzheimer's.
For the first time, a white flower will represent the efforts to ensure a world without Alzheimer's.
To register, volunteer or donate, visit act.alz.org/walkjeffcity.