[singlepic id=168 w=150 h=150 float=]No I’m not referring to the 1960′s anthem, but yesterday’s Memory Walk in Portland where the streets were literally packed with purple.
[singlepic id=170 w=150 h=150 float=]The first year our family participated in the walk, I pushed Luke in his baby jogger and my mom strolled by my side. The walk wound along sidewalks and spilled into the park blocks that year. In the later stages of Alzheimer’s, the walk was one of the last events my mother participated in. She was easily distracted, but enjoyed the energy of the event. “Look, look Kate,” she would say pointing to all the people around us. “We’re doin’ it! We’re really doin’ it!” She couldn’t articulate the impact of seeing so many come out in support of the cause. She couldn’t articulate that we were building a movement, building the kind of momentum it takes to really create change. But, I know she understood why we were walking that day.
[singlepic id=172 w=150 h=150 float=]Flash-forward five years to yesterday. I so wish my mom could have seen the crowd that jammed downtown Portland. The energy was electric with drummers, festive balloons, a cheering crowd, camera crews, and Luke and his cousins dancing in the streets. The walk has exploded over the past few years. Sidewalks couldn’t have contained us. City police shut down the streets to accommodate the massive crowd. At one point I paused yesterday, looking up Broadway at a sea of purple and back behind me came a continuing wave. I thought of my mom’s words. She was right. We’re doin’ it.
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on Monday, September 28th, 2009 at 10:50 am and is filed under Alzheimer's Info, Memory Walk.
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[singlepic id=168 w=150 h=150 float=]No I’m not referring to the 1960′s anthem, but yesterday’s Memory Walk in Portland where the streets were literally packed with purple.
