Families, caregivers and advocates gathered at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow on Oct. 4 for the Nassau Walk to End Alzheimer’s, raising awareness and funds for research, care and support programs.
1,200 people participated in this year’s walk, and over $396,000 was raised to support care and programs for the Alzheimer’s Association.
“The funds raised will help fuel disease research while also providing critical care and support to individuals and families affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementia,” Tinamaria Hardekopf, the senior director of development for the Alzheimer’s Association Long Island Chapter said.
Organized by the Alzheimer’s Association Long Island Chapter, the annual event brought together people with different connections to the disease. More than 426,000 New Yorkers are living with Alzheimer’s, including an estimated 61,800 Long Island residents age 65 and older, according to the association.
“This is a pivotal moment in the fight against Alzheimer’s,” Hardekopf told the Herald before the walk. “With new treatments and proven lifestyle habits that support brain health, there is real hope. Together, we can build a brain‑healthy future and help end this disease.”
For Armando D’Accordo, an association board member and executive event co-chair, the walk honors his late mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
“For me, the walk to End Alzheimer’s is a group hug that represents love, remembrance, and hope for a cure,” D’Accordo said. “I walk for the people who have been affected and for the families who stand beside them. I walk for those that deserved to be remembered for who they were, not how they were affected.”
During the walk’s Promise Garden ceremony, participants held flowers whose colors represented their connections to Alzheimer’s, including living with the disease, caring for someone, remembering a loved one or supporting the cause.
“When you're at the event and everyone kind of holds up their flower one by one, then you can see how everyone is affected by this in some way or another,” Alyssa Ramirez, the walk’s executive event vice chair, said.
Ramirez walks for her grandmother who is living with dementia.
“Walk to End Alzheimer’s gives me the opportunity to honor my grandmother, while supporting my family, raising awareness and helping create a future where no family has to experience the heartbreak of Alzheimer’s,” she said. “I walk for her and for everyone whose lives have been touched by this disease."
For D’Accordo, the gathering represented one thing: hope.
“Hope for a future without Alzheimer's,” he said.
Donations are accepted through Dec. 31. To donate, visit Act.ALZ.org/Nassau.
Additional reporting by Jordan Vallone
