As Rides4ALZ 2024 approaches later this month, we want to share some thoughts from past participants about the reasons we ride. Some people take part in this event in honor of their loved ones who live with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia, and others ride in honor of loved ones they’ve lost to the disease. Regardless, they all come together for this ride and the money raised goes to helping people and families affected by memory loss throughout San Diego County.
Rider Reflections
“My mother-in-law… was a bubbly, vivacious, very active woman. When she was 49 she started showing signs of Alzheimer’s. She passed away at 60, she had the early onset Alzheimer’s. She was a wonderful woman, I miss her very, very much and this is why I do this, this is why I ride.” – Nick Elliot
“We all love to ride so we can get together and we can support a cause. Even if maybe it’s not for us, it could be for one of our brothers or sisters in the motorcycle community.” – Stacey McCarty
“My dad and oldest brother have Alzheimer’s, so it’s very personal it’s a devastating disease. Not only for the people, but for the family. It’s very personal to me and I outreach my friends through my Facebook page, through our group, our chapter’s Facebook page. Just talking to people in general… it’s personal, you want to get involved and either donating money or the awareness or being part of [Rides4ALZ].” – Dave Timmons
“My father he had it for about eight years, he passed away in 2016. It’s near and dear to my heart.” – Cindy Birkett
“I have family members that have Alzheimer’s… I see my grandfather get really ill with it, he went from a bright, intuitive, wonderful loving man to being a shell of who he used to be and it just broke my heart before he even passed.” – Terri Carr
“I lost my stepdad to Alzheimer’s years ago and it was a very difficult time. He was more than a stepfather he was like my dad, walked me down the aisle when I got married and was always there for me. Treated me as nice, if not better than his own children and it was a very difficult time. He turned into a completely different person and at the time we didn’t have any tools to learn how to communicate properly or to deal with my own feelings of him not knowing who I was, and so that’s why I’m involved. That’s why I did the ride… I’ll do it again from here on out.” – Christy Moore
“My father-in-law passed away from [Alzheimer’s disease]. It’s a cause that I feel strongly about. It wasn’t easy, let’s hope we can find a cure.” – Alexandra Ford
Register yourself and/or your team for Rides4ALZ 2024 now! If you’re not a rider, you may also join us at the Rides after party at AleSmith Brewing Company. Can’t wait to see you on June 29th!
RECOMMENDED: Rides4ALZ Throttle Thursday: Where Your Money Goes
Updated on June 6th, 2024
