Mark Applegate is fundraising
Running Til I'm Purple II
My fundraiser (SeniorAge & the Alzheimer's Association) for The Longest Day 2022 is as follows, but first some history:
In 2021: Frisco Highline Trail, a beautiful 37 mile trail from Bolivar, Missouri to Springfield, Missouri. For athletic types running that trail is hard enough, but doable. I mean, it is the rough equivalent to a marathon, then a 10k then a 5k. For me, it will be much harder. I am NOT even close to being an athlete. I am a computer nerd, a writer, and a proud dad-bod owner to the extreme! When Covid started, I was over 360 pounds but recently have lost over 100 pounds on Weight Watchers (WW) in preparing for this 2021 day. I have recently taken back up running and am training nearly every day as best I can figure out how. I am taking donations for two wonderful organizations that I love in honor of my run. Will I make it? Will a snake bite me or a bigfoot haul me off into the forest? Will I turn purple in the process? We shall see... I will share video (live and otherwise) and lots of event pictures and will share my progress from my tracker.
SPOILER ALERT: I survived my 2021 run with the wonderful help of my friends and family!
Fast Forward to 2022: Bigger goal, bigger shark. :) I will try to run the trail again in 2022, then run it back the next day. :) Double the goal, double the miles, double the shark to jump! :) We can do this!!!
Why this cause? Why dementia??
12+ years ago, at only 65 years old, my mom was diagnosed with what the doctor called "a mild form of dementia". We didn't know much about the disease at the time and were concerned...but things stayed stable for 5-6 years as best we could see. The topic kind of fell off the radar. Honestly, we had no excuse. Our grandma on the same side of the family had the disease. My mom's brother also developed the disease as well. But we trotted on in relative ignorance...
Then about 3-4 years ago, things took a turn for the (much) worse. It came to a head one day when we were joking around about parenting and I asked mom to show my kids how she used to sound when she would call me in to get in trouble... "You know...Mark. Allen. Applegate!!!, you get your rear in here right this minute!!!". We all use that little phrasing to express anger and urgency in parenting. It is parenting 101, right?!?!. ;) Well, mom refused even though she is and always has been a good sport. When pressed jokingly, then a bit more urgently, we figured out why she wouldn't? She couldn't remember my name. The trajectory continued downward and within months she, in order to be kept safe from wandering and harm in her home, had to become a resident of a local nursing home memory unit.
We were able to visit mom almost every day and got to know and love many who have dementia among other conditions. The memory unit squad I refer to as "The Sweet 17" were the 17 ladies with whom my mom shared a hall. I have written extensively about my mom and them in my blog found at Digitalcornbread.com. Then came COVID-19. :( Now with COVID-19 we are nearly a year removed from regular, face-to-face visits...but we are still doing what we can. My mom has been under hospice care for over a year now, but she is still fighting!! Can I do any less?
I chose this date...the eve of the "Longest Day" of the year because it is the date of the Alzheimer's Association's second-biggest fundraiser. I chose the event itself for 2 reasons: 1. Mom loves nature/outdoors, long walks, and adventure. 2. Mom loves to support the underdog. The one who people say can't do it.
I chose the goal amount of $5280 because mom always used to joke when I asked how old she was that she was 5280. (She also used that number for any answer that needed a number all the way until she became non-verbal. It seems her science/math teachers did well in helping etch that one in her memory...and she loved it.) Note: my 2022 goal is $5280 for the Alzheimer's Association and $5280 for SeniorAge. It will be a hard goal to hit, but we can do it!
Please stand up to the darkness of Alzheimer’s and make a donation today to help the Alzheimer's Association and SeniorAge support all those facing the disease. To learn more about these wonderful groups, visit their websites at senioragemo.org and alz.org. We WILL beat this thing and finally #EndALZ, or we'll go purple trying!!!
Donation Note: Please donate through my GoFundMe link found at this page:
https://www.gofundme.com/manage/running-til-im-purple-ii
The donations will be divided evenly between the Alzheimer's Association and SeniorAge. These two organizations mean so much to me and to the families in our area that need help with this disease.
If you would prefer to donate by check, please mail them to:
SeniorAge
Attn. Runnin' Til I'm Purple
1735 S Fort Ave
Springfield, Mo. 65807
There are no processing fees on checks, unlike this giving platform.
Thank you sooooo much!
In 2021: Frisco Highline Trail, a beautiful 37 mile trail from Bolivar, Missouri to Springfield, Missouri. For athletic types running that trail is hard enough, but doable. I mean, it is the rough equivalent to a marathon, then a 10k then a 5k. For me, it will be much harder. I am NOT even close to being an athlete. I am a computer nerd, a writer, and a proud dad-bod owner to the extreme! When Covid started, I was over 360 pounds but recently have lost over 100 pounds on Weight Watchers (WW) in preparing for this 2021 day. I have recently taken back up running and am training nearly every day as best I can figure out how. I am taking donations for two wonderful organizations that I love in honor of my run. Will I make it? Will a snake bite me or a bigfoot haul me off into the forest? Will I turn purple in the process? We shall see... I will share video (live and otherwise) and lots of event pictures and will share my progress from my tracker.
SPOILER ALERT: I survived my 2021 run with the wonderful help of my friends and family!
Fast Forward to 2022: Bigger goal, bigger shark. :) I will try to run the trail again in 2022, then run it back the next day. :) Double the goal, double the miles, double the shark to jump! :) We can do this!!!
Why this cause? Why dementia??
12+ years ago, at only 65 years old, my mom was diagnosed with what the doctor called "a mild form of dementia". We didn't know much about the disease at the time and were concerned...but things stayed stable for 5-6 years as best we could see. The topic kind of fell off the radar. Honestly, we had no excuse. Our grandma on the same side of the family had the disease. My mom's brother also developed the disease as well. But we trotted on in relative ignorance...
Then about 3-4 years ago, things took a turn for the (much) worse. It came to a head one day when we were joking around about parenting and I asked mom to show my kids how she used to sound when she would call me in to get in trouble... "You know...Mark. Allen. Applegate!!!, you get your rear in here right this minute!!!". We all use that little phrasing to express anger and urgency in parenting. It is parenting 101, right?!?!. ;) Well, mom refused even though she is and always has been a good sport. When pressed jokingly, then a bit more urgently, we figured out why she wouldn't? She couldn't remember my name. The trajectory continued downward and within months she, in order to be kept safe from wandering and harm in her home, had to become a resident of a local nursing home memory unit.
We were able to visit mom almost every day and got to know and love many who have dementia among other conditions. The memory unit squad I refer to as "The Sweet 17" were the 17 ladies with whom my mom shared a hall. I have written extensively about my mom and them in my blog found at Digitalcornbread.com. Then came COVID-19. :( Now with COVID-19 we are nearly a year removed from regular, face-to-face visits...but we are still doing what we can. My mom has been under hospice care for over a year now, but she is still fighting!! Can I do any less?
I chose this date...the eve of the "Longest Day" of the year because it is the date of the Alzheimer's Association's second-biggest fundraiser. I chose the event itself for 2 reasons: 1. Mom loves nature/outdoors, long walks, and adventure. 2. Mom loves to support the underdog. The one who people say can't do it.
I chose the goal amount of $5280 because mom always used to joke when I asked how old she was that she was 5280. (She also used that number for any answer that needed a number all the way until she became non-verbal. It seems her science/math teachers did well in helping etch that one in her memory...and she loved it.) Note: my 2022 goal is $5280 for the Alzheimer's Association and $5280 for SeniorAge. It will be a hard goal to hit, but we can do it!
Please stand up to the darkness of Alzheimer’s and make a donation today to help the Alzheimer's Association and SeniorAge support all those facing the disease. To learn more about these wonderful groups, visit their websites at senioragemo.org and alz.org. We WILL beat this thing and finally #EndALZ, or we'll go purple trying!!!
Donation Note: Please donate through my GoFundMe link found at this page:
https://www.gofundme.com/manage/running-til-im-purple-ii
The donations will be divided evenly between the Alzheimer's Association and SeniorAge. These two organizations mean so much to me and to the families in our area that need help with this disease.
If you would prefer to donate by check, please mail them to:
SeniorAge
Attn. Runnin' Til I'm Purple
1735 S Fort Ave
Springfield, Mo. 65807
There are no processing fees on checks, unlike this giving platform.
Thank you sooooo much!
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