QUEENSBURY — The Queensbury Walk to End Alzheimer’s returns on Oct. 14, offering a chance for community members to come together, raising money and awareness for the Alzheimer’s Association.
The event is meaningful to many, but especially to families such as the Davies.
Chris Davies, Jr. was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s in 2019. Joan Davies, his mother, was also diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2022. While they are aware of the disease’s progression, the family is remaining positive, and said they are trying to take advantage of each day.
“Well, the one thing I generally talk about with people is that I’m not in pain, I’m not physically limited in any way. It’s just frustrating from time to time,” Chris Jr. said. “I’m not blind to what’s going to happen eventually. But if I walk into a room and can’t remember what I was getting, it doesn’t bother me.”
“But, you know, it’s always kind of somewhere there in the back of your mind, how long am I going to be at this level, or he’s going to be at his level?” said Joan Davies. “And we know that there are probably going to be changes that aren’t for the better.”
Cheri Davies, Chris Jr.’s wife, works as a licensed clinical social worker, and said they received a care consultation with the Alzheimer’s Association after Chris Jr.’s diagnosis. Because of their experience, she was quickly prepared after Joan was diagnosed.
“When Joan got her diagnosis, I think within a week, Cheri came to the house with a big bag with her folders, and a notebook, and a list of things to do,” Chris Davies Sr. said.
Joan and Chris Sr. also took advantage of the Association’s services, attending a series of meetings for patients and caregivers.
“And that was very helpful, to see whoever the speaker was, whether it was on legal issues, support issues, or neurology issues,” said Chris Sr. “And then to sit with the other caregivers and be able to honestly discuss what we’re seeing with our patient, our loved one, and how it’s affecting us.”
Joan added that it has been “eye-opening” to realize how many people the disease affects, and said it is meaningful to have the support of the Alzheimer’s Association and other groups. Cheri pointed out that social connections can be crucial for people with Alzheimer’s.
“In Chris’ case, he is doing much better for going into year five than he really should be,” Cheri said. “And so much of that is attributed to social connections, keeping active, good diet, physically active, those kinds of things.”
In addition to his family, Chris Jr. also has a strong support system in the Hudson Valley region, where he worked as a police officer. In 2022, Chris Jr. and Cheri attended the Poughkeepsie Walk to End Alzheimer’s, saying a group of nearly 50 people participated with Chris’ walk team, ‘Chris 287.’
Chris Sr. said the family is looking to “take every day,” a message he said was passed along at one of the meetings.
“Enjoy every day, find something positive, and just hold onto that,” Chris Sr. said. “And then the next day, do the same thing.”
The Queensbury Walk to End Alzheimer’s will be held at SUNY Adirondack, with registration opening at 9 a.m., according to the Alzheimer’s Association website. Registration for the Walk is free, although participants are encouraged to fundraise.
The Queensbury walk has a fundraising goal of $195,000, according to the event website. Kym Hance, a member of the Walk’s Executive Leadership Committee, said funds support free services provided by the Alzheimer’s Association regionally, including care consultations, support groups, and educational programs, services that families such as the Davies have been able to take advantage of at no cost.
The event also holds strong meaning to the Shimkus family. Todd Shimkus, a member of the Alzheimer’s Association of Northeast New York Board of Directors and the president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, said he first attended the Walk in 2018 in support of his mother, Amy Shimkus, who died of Alzheimer’s in 2022.
Shimkus said that for his mother and the rest of the family, the Walk was “a way to fight.”
“It was a way to end this miserable disease. She felt like she was doing something that would help, hopefully, stop this disease from ever harming people in the future,” said Shimkus. “There was little else she could control, but she could walk, and she could raise money. And that’s what she did. And that’s what we continue to do today.”
Shimkus and his sister, Tracy, formed the ‘Amy’s Army’ team, which walks and fundraises each year in both Queensbury and Reston, Virginia. Between the two locations, they raised around $17,000 last year, Shimkus said, and hope to reach $20,000 this year. Shimkus also published a book in March, ‘I’m Not Ready For This,’ and said he is donating all of its proceeds to the ‘Amy’s Army’ walk team.
“It is the story of what I went through with my mom with Alzheimer’s, particularly during COVID, as well as my role in the community as the President of the Chamber,” Shimkus said. “So it’s what I learned about Alzheimer’s, being a caregiver, being a community leader, and resilience.”
Hance noted the theme for this year’s Walk is ‘Fighting for a Different Future,’ one where an Alzheimer’s diagnosis is not necessarily terminal.
“That’s what we’re really fighting for,” said Hance. “We’re fighting for that cure, we’re fighting for those medications that really can help people hold on much longer than they would have, even a year ago.”
Hance also noted that numerous sponsors will have tables set up prior to the Walk with information on resources and services for those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, as well as caretakers, friends, and families.
“It’s nice to have somebody kind of guiding you along and know that you can reach out for help to quite a few different people or organizations,” said Joan Davies.
“Really, again, it’s just about connecting,” Hance said. “That’s one of the things that I love most about (the) walk.”
