When I was a teenager, I visited my great-grandmother in a nursing home. We walked into her room, where she sat in a chair by the window. She was always on the slender side, but her skin seemed to drape over her bones. She was far from the woman I knew who worked on a farm in Mississippi late into her years, spryly walking across the field. When she saw my dad, she said, “I know I’m supposed to know you.” My dad reminded her he was her grandson. When we left her room, we walked past other elderly people staring at the wall or sitting in a corner chair, aimlessly staring about.
My family has a history of Alzheimer’s and it will probably continue to plague my family line. It is something that concerns me greatly. I fear that one day, it will be passed on to my kids or their children.
I turn 50 this year and I wanted to do something big to celebrate my half-century of existence. During the Covid pandemic, I took up running as a hobby. The thing about hobbies is, you can pick them up and set them down whenever you want. I’ve needed a goal to shoot for.
My friend Patrick has been running the NYC Marathon for the Alzheimer’s Association for years and talked to me about running. I signed up with the organization and am currently preparing for the NYC Marathon. You can follow my running goals on my Instagram account @runjasongreene.
The NYC Marathon is November 3rd and I have a goal of raising $4,400.
Currently, over 6 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and that number is expected to grow to nearly 13 million by 2050. Our future is at risk and we must come together to change the course of this disease.
Please support my efforts by making a donation. All funds raised benefit the Alzheimer’s Association and its work to enhance care and support programs and advance research toward methods of treatment, prevention and, ultimately, a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Thank you for joining the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
To donate to my fundraising page, click here.