By Kara Jacobsen

The beauty of the Walk4ALZ being virtual this year is that you can walk anywhere, at any time on October 17th. Tanya Miller will be walking in Delray Beach, Florida, in honor of her mom, Brigitte Galgut, or Beeba as her grandchildren like to call her.

Beeba has Alzheimer’s disease. Under normal circumstances, Tanya would be on her way to San Diego to visit and walk with her in Balboa Park as captain of Team Beeba. She also usually walks alongside Team Wellman, another top Walk team she’s connected to through her in-laws. But because of COVID-19, she and her team will host separate walks this year. They’ve also had to get creative with their fundraising efforts.

Tanya is grateful to have strong supporters in her family and is especially thankful for her incredible stepfather Barry Galgut. Barry has been an anchor and such a positive, loving husband to his beautiful wife and their four children and 10 grandchildren – all who help with the fundraising and walk each year!

“We walk because it’s too important not to. We walk for those who can’t walk anymore, for those who need people like us to stand up for this cause and bring awareness, and because when we’re able to come together we can still walk and cross the finish line with my mom,” Tanya explains.

While the pandemic has caused added stress for many care partners, Tanya says not much has changed for her since she’s been a long-distance caregiver for her mother for years. Their in-person visits are less frequent now, but she’s lucky they’re still able to connect and share a smile through FaceTime.

For this year’s Walk4ALZ, Tanya was looking to create a fundraiser that captures these moments of happiness with her mom. One activity Beeba has found stimulating is to paint during her art therapy sessions. So Tanya had the idea of hosting a small art exhibition at their home for friends and family last July. The event was intended to be just for fun, but people were so moved by her work, they asked if they could purchase the art – and thus this year’s Walk4ALZ art notecard fundraising project was born.

Beeba’s beautiful artwork has been turned into notecards – which have already raised about $1,500 for Alzheimer’s San Diego. Her top-10 pieces can be purchased as a bundle for the price of $21 – a number that holds special significance for Tanya’s family connecting four generations of women – Beeba’s mom was born on August 21st, Beeba on February 21st, Tanya on December 21st, and Tanya’s daughter Romy turned 21 this past April. Tanya says she’ll continue to use that number for good measure, as she’s found success with it after emailing friends and family about the fundraiser on August 21st and posting about it on social media on September 21st.

“The response has been overwhelming,” she describes. “I am just so blessed to have people so inspired by Beeba and her art. Alzheimer’s San Diego is so invaluable to this community. I’m grateful the money being raised is going towards such an important resource that’s taught me and my family so much about how to handle a diagnosis with a positive attitude, strength, and grace.”

If you’re interested in purchasing Beeba’s artwork, email Tanya at flmillers@yahoo.com.

Help support local families like Team Beeba on October 17th. Click here to donate to their team page >>

Fundraising events like the Walk4ALZ are more important now than ever before. Sign up for FREE at www.alzsd.org/walk or by calling 858.966.3319.