Record turnout for 2018 Walk to End Alzheimers

On Sunday the Lincoln community came out in droves to put an end to Alzheimers at the 2018 Walk to End Alzheimers at Holmes Lake.

The disease affects 6 million people nationwide, including 34,000 seniors in Nebraska alone.

81-year-old Suzy Campbell knows the devastating affects of Alzheimers all too well.?

"You say goodbye over and over and over again, but there is no closure. And it is so important for this walk, for everybody to be aware, to be involved, to raise funds for the research, we need to find a way to stop this dreaded dreaded disease," said Campbell.

Campbell was the primary caretaker of her father during his last few years of life.

She says events like Sundays walk isn’t only about raising money for research. It also helps to show the community the amount of people affected.

"A lot of it is raising awareness so that everybody is aware of how devastating this disease can be. I really want it to end, tomorrow would be great," said Campbell.

In the U.S. a person develops Alzheimers every 65 seconds.

The Alzheimers association is hoping to find a cure through more research.

The goal for this year was to raise $200,000, and over $142,000 has already been collected.

"We have thousands of people across the state that rally. Here in Lincoln this is one of our largest events across the state and the families that are living with Alzheimer disease, we hear their stories as staff, every day," said Elizabeth Chentland, with the Nebraska chapter of the Alzheimers Association.

Officials say now is a critical time for research, as the aging U.S. population is expected to see the amount of people diagnosed with Alzheimer more than double in the next thirty years.

Sunday’s event was sponsored by Edward Jones and emceed by KLKN Channel 8’s own morning anchor, Nicole Cousins.

"When a person doesn’t have a connection yet we always say it is very possible that they will have a connection in the long run. Alzheimers disease is stealing our resources, it’s stealing the very important people in our lives and it is draining our economy," said Chentland.

If you are interested in getting involved with this cause, it’s not too late to donate.

The cut off date isn’t until December 15th… If you’d like to learn how to get involved go to alz.org for more information.