“It means a lot to be able to give back,” says Trista Waters. This is her first year participating in the Peoria Metro Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday, October 2. Trista’s mother was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia two and a half years ago.
“They told her at that time she had been living with dementia for four years already. My mother is 68 and lives in Alaska, and I may never be able to have a conversation with her again over the phone. I know one thing I can do is try and help fight this disease…I feel in life we can’t control everything that happens but we can control how we deal with it.”
Trista is determined to raise funds and awareness for Alzheimer’s disease. “We have to fight this,” she says. “More and more people are losing their lives to this disease and we need all the funding we can get to help families get the resources they need.
“It’s heartbreaking watching your loved ones deteriorate. Dementia takes everything from you, they don’t know who and where they are and they forget their loved ones. You pretty much are just constantly mourning the loss of your loved one that is still here.”
Trista has felt helpless living so far away from her mother. Yet participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s gives her purpose.
“This is the only thing I know I can do. I just know with me raising as much money as I can, I will help end Alzheimer’s and other dementia…we need a cure!”
Walk with Trista towards a future without this disease at one of our in-person Walk to End Alzheimer’s events, or Walk From Home with the new and improved Walk Mobile App.
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