SAN DIEGO (KGTV)— The annual Walk to End Alzheimer’sis happening Saturday morning at Liberty Station.
Ahead of the event, ABC 10News sat down with Jason and Leonor Spark, who plan to take part in honor of a member of their own family.
“She would light up a room…she played her piano, she sang, she danced, she loved her children, grandchildren,” said Leonor.
Leonor shared that her mother, Cecilia, was about 75 years old when she started showing signs of dementia.
“Confusion…searching for her words, getting repetitive,” she said.
Her mother passed away in 2017 at the age of 89. Before that, Leonor spent years as her mother’s caregiver — an experience she now calls a gift.
“For me, it was a blessing to be able to retire from work be able to be there for her,” she said.
Jason, Leonor’s son, recalls watching the cruel disease slowly rob his Abuelita of her mental and physical abilities.
“She’d look at me and say…who is this man in my house? And my mom would say, well, that’s your grandson. And she’d say no, no, no, my grandson is this big,” he said.
The Sparks shared Cecilia’s battle with dementia caused stress and strain in their family relationships as they weighed which options were best for her care.
“It broke our extended family,” said Jason. “The reason for the walk is to try and use Alzheimer’s and the Alzheimer's Association as a reason to bring us back together when Alzheimer’s disease broke us apart,” he said.
The Sparks also shared that more than a dozen family members—some they haven’t seen in years—will participate in Saturday's walk to end Alzheimer's.
Organizers say you don’t have to be officially registered to attend Saturday’s Liberty Station event, which starts with speakers and performances at 8 a.m.
The event is designed to offer resources, community, and, most importantly, hope to families affected by the disease.
“You’re not alone…the walk is a great place to come see others going through that.”
