Published: October 13, 2008 11:30 pm         

Family members often feel cheated by time lost to Alzheimer’s disease

Sunday’s Memory Walk to raise awareness, funding for research programs

CUMBERLAND — Robert and Mary Martha Salathe met in 1995 after both had been widowed by their first spouses. They both lived in Cumberland at the time, although Robert wintered in Palm Springs.

In 1999, they got married and began to winter in California. They shared a wonderful loving relationship from the start, having been married before and now able to be retired and enjoy each other’s company, hobbies and travel.

Things were going along well until the winter of 2002, when Robert, now 75, noticed that Mary Martha, now 73, wasn’t quite her usual self. At first she misplaced things, and then it grew to not being able to do routine household tasks.

When her behavior became more erratic, they went to a doctor in California who suggested that she may have the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease.

As recommended, when they returned to Maryland in the spring, they visited Johns Hopkins University Hospital for a more thorough dementia exam. Following the exam, Mary Martha enrolled in a dementia study conducted by Pfizer.

Sadly, things began to go downhill a bit more quickly than anticipated. With the study doctor’s advice, Robert removed Mary Martha from the study and had her take Aricept and Namenda.

Mary Martha’s dementia leveled off and stayed consistent for about two years. Then, her abilities to carry on a relative independent lifestyle began to be compromised by the progressiveness of the disease.

In 2003, Robert brought in-home help care for Mary Martha. But things took a turn for the worse. Since May 2008, she has been a resident at Country House Assisted Living in Cumberland.

Robert visits every day and takes her for scenic rides often. She will ask about home at times but isn’t sure where home is.

Robert feels cheated of time that they could have spent together and robbed by a disease that he knew relatively nothing about since he still has a living aunt at 103 years of age and his mother at 93 years young.

He wants someone to find a cure for this progressive and fatal disease. To assist, he is donating to the Country House team participating in the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk, the nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research programs.

The Cumberland Memory Walk will occur Sunday, rain or shine, at Allegany College of Maryland.

Check-in will commence at 1 p.m. The Chick-fil-A Cow, The River DJ and dancers from Lepley’s Dance Studio and ACM will greet and entertain participants throughout the afternoon, while McGruff the Crime Dog ® will provide children’s fingerprinting and DNA tests.

Additional activities will include children’s games, massages, fabric and face painting, tattoos, door prizes and more. Each walker also can visit the Garden of Memories and place hand-crafted Forget-Me-Not flowers.

Segway of Hagerstown will kick off the three-mile walk at 2 p.m. Following the walk, refreshments will be served compliments of Country House Assisted Living, Moran Manor, Frostburg Village and Roy Rogers. Additionally, the top three teams and top three individual walkers who receive the most donations will be awarded victory medals.

For more information, to donate or register for Memory Walk, visit www.alz.org/maryland or call (301) 696-0315 or (800) 272-3900.