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Man Walks From Denver To Vail For Alzheimer's

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Jul 8, 2008 1:17 pm US/Mountain

Man Walks From Denver To Vail For Alzheimer's

Reporting
Andrea Lopez

VAIL, Colo. (CBS4) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 4: CBS
Click to enlarge 2 of 4: It took Fred Wolfe 5 days this year to walk from Denver to Vail.
CBS
Click to enlarge 3 of 4: Fred Wolfe did it in memory of his father who died from Alzheimer's last year.
CBS
Click to enlarge 4 of 4: Fred Wolfe planned to raise tens of thousands of dollars for research on the disease.
CBS

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For 5 years, Fred Wolfe watched his father's mind deteriorate. All of the memories they shared were still in Fred's mind, but his father slowly lost sight of them until they were gone. Larry Wolfe was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2002. It complicated his health and he died last year from a heart attack.

Before his death, his son decided he needed to do something to raise awareness about Alzheimer's. So, he started his own event called "A Walk to Remember." For the past 4 years, he has walked from Denver to Vail (where his family has a home) in memory of his father, and to raise not only awareness but money for research.

"I never wanted it to be about me," said Wolfe. "I wanted it to be about the disease. People don't give to causes. People give to people."

It took Wolfe 5 days this year to walk from Denver to Vail. He began his walk on Sunday, June 29. The first leg of his journey to El Rancho was 31 miles, the second to Georgetown was 25 miles, the third to Dillon was 32 miles, the fourth to Frisco was six miles, and the final leg of his trek to Vail was 26 miles. Everywhere he went, people came up to him to ask about his cause, and literally handed him checks and wads of cash (he handed them a donation envelope in those cases).

"I really wanted to do more than a walk," Wolfe told said in a cell phone interview while he was walking up Vail Pass. "I wanted to do something to remember my dad. It feels good to do it. I wanted to do something that brings people's attention to it."

According to the Alzheimer's Association of Colorado, 5.2 million people in the United States have the disease. There are 500,000 people under the age of 65 who have what is called Young or Early Onset Alzheimer's. One in seven people over the age of 65 and 50 percent of those over the age of 85 have the disease. The greatest risk factor is age, but the risk increases for those with heart disease and diabetes. There are 65,000 people in Colorado living with Alzheimer's, and "for each of those there are three more people whose lives have been changed forever." Lives like Wolfe's.

Alzheimer's is a fatal disease and as of now, there is no cure. Those who are diagnosed can live as long as eight to 10 years as the disease progresses. More people die of this disease that of breast and prostate cancer combined. There are nine drugs currently in clinical trial offering hope to those who are living with Alzheimer's. The symptoms include memory loss, confusion, problems with speech, difficulty performing familiar tasks, mood and personality changes, poor judgment, and disorientation to time and place.

Wolfe hopes that the money he raises will bring more than just hope, he wants it to help bring a cure. In his first year, he raised about $18,000, in the second year just over $28,000, the third year brought in nearly $40,000 and his goal this year was $56,000. He already had $26,000 raised before he started his memory walk.

The walk to Vail from Denver is uphill, and that's why Wolfe chose the route, because the battle against Alzheimer's "is uphill." He plans to continue this effort he has started to perhaps someday help spare other some of the sorrow he has endured.

Additional Resources:

Colorado Chapter of Alzheimer's Association