Patients, families and supporters will gather for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s on November 6

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Mike and Bobbie Queen will be among those participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Sat., Nov. 6 at Wrightsville Beach Park.

Bobbie Queen was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in Feb. 2020, after a prior diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment a year earlier.

“It was tough when we got (the diagnosis) but you can’t pick and choose what happens to you. I am a believer in prayer. I’m a Christian. So I pray that something will come out that will help other people. I just hope that I’ll have a few more years with my kids and my grandkids and with this man, who is my rock,” she said, referring to her husband, Mike.

This year, Bobbie and Mike raised money for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Within 48 hours of signing up for the walk, they raised more than $10,000.

“We know that it takes research to find a cure,” said Mike Queen. “There is no cure for Alzheimer’s. There are some treatments but there is no cure. We are aware of that. When the opportunity to walk to raise some money was presented, she said ‘I want to do this’ and so that’s why were doing it.”

Lisa Roberts, Executive Director, Eastern North Carolina Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, called the Queens inspiring. Roberts lost her mom to Alzheimer’s related disorders.

“When I look at the Queens, Ms. Queen and her king, it is very hopeful,” she said. “We don’t have a cure right now but in June of this year there was a drug called Aducanumab that came out and that’s the first drug in 19 years that was approved. It is a disease-modifying drug so it’s not just treating the symptoms like all the other treatments we have, it’s treating the underlying disease and cause and that is hope.”

Many will gather for the in-person event at Wrightsville Beach Park this year, but Roberts said participants have the option to walk in their home or neighborhood.

“We have an app that they can download and it will allow them to experience opening ceremony pre-recorded, as well as an augmented reality version of planting a promise garden flower,” she said.

For the in-person event, check in begins at 9 a.m. with the walk starting after the opening ceremony.

“This year, we want to recognize the fact that we are still in the middle of a pandemic so we are taking all of the health and safety protocols, state and CDC guidelines into consideration at our Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which is our largest event nationwide,” she said.

WECT and FOX Wilmington’s Gabe Ross will emcee the event.

To learn more or to participate, click here.

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