Brian Larson of Ottawa was a longtime volunteer in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease, even though he didn’t know anyone who suffered from it. One day, that abruptly changed.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s event in downtown Ottawa, Larson said a member of his family recently was diagnosed after showing only fleeting signs of cognitive decline.

I love all these people for being part of it.

—  Brian Larson, Ottawa resident, on the Walk to Eend Alzheimer's

“You don’t realize what’s coming on until all of a sudden one day they miss a name or misspeak, and then they don’t remember your name,” Larson said.

It’s an increasingly common experience for families, who typically are overwhelmed by the stressful task of caring for their failing loved ones. Larson and many others gathered Saturday in Ottawa’s Jordan block to work to end the affliction once and for all.

On a crisp and sunny morning, a long trail of walkers clad in purple, the color of Alzheimer’s awareness, set off on the annual 2023 Walk to End Alzheimer’s. The goal was to raise $40,000.

Kayli Rizzo, one of the organizers, expressed confidence they’d surpass that total.

“The weather is absolutely perfect,” Rizzo said. “Last year, we raised about $33,000 and we’re sitting at $31,000 as of this morning, and that doesn’t count anything that’s come in today.”

Susan Ellis of Ottawa said the attendance at the walk grows every year, which is a reflection of how far-reaching the disease has become. She personally has been touched, having recently buried her father-in-law, Dwayne Ellis, after his long struggle with dementia.

“It’s just a difficult thing to watch your loved one deteriorate to such a degree,” Ellis said. “They can’t swallow anymore. They can’t remember anything. They hallucinate. It’s just very difficult.”

Angie Chiaventone of Ottawa agreed that caring for an Alzheimer’s patient is stressful and requires both forbearance and adaptability. Chiaventone creates activities for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients at an Ottawa nursing facility and counsels families to manage their stress and recognize the need for individualized care.

“The most important thing is having patience,” she said. “Each individual is completely different. There is not one single person that’s the same.”

Some event sponsors were easily persuaded to lend financial support because they were personally touched by Alzheimer’s disease. Star Union Spirits agreed to supply 200 bottles of a small-batch brandy, which will be distributed at an Oct. 5 event. Net proceeds will benefit the Alzheimer’s Foundation.

Star Union co-owners Jeff Yosowitz and Bob Windy both had family members who succumbed to the disease.

“We want to make sure that we raise awareness for the Alzheimer’s Foundation,” Windy said, “and we know that almost everyone in the community has been affected by Alzheimer’s, dementia or one of these diseases that cause memory loss.

We wanted to do something to help out because it’s really important to help everyone affected by this.”