When a walk with Alzheimer’s becomes personal

Published 7:15 am Thursday, July 24, 2025

Marissa Ford and Sandra Kiening didn’t plan on becoming advocates for the Alzheimer’s Association, but when their loved ones were diagnosed with the disease, their walks to end Alzheimer’s became a personal one.

Kiening became heavily involved in a support group after two women in her family were diagnosed with dementia, all within two years of  each other.

“Not everyone gets involved with the walk because they are caretakers or have family members that have been diagnosed. Some people just have a deep personal care for community members,” Kiening said.

People participate in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s for various reasons, but at the heart of the event is the family members who are seeing firsthand what the disease does to their loved ones.

Kiening began walking in the association’s yearly event after her mother was diagnosed in 2008. A year later, Kiening’s mother passed, but her family’s battle with the disease wasn’t over yet.

In 2010, Kiening’s mother-in-law was diagnosed with early onset dementia at age 59.

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“We had back to back diagnoses,” Kiening said. “It was hard, especially after just losing my mother. Now, my kids’ other grandmother was being affected by dementia.”

It became Kiening’s mission to raise awareness in the community about Alzheimer’s in her loved ones’ memories.

“Being an advocate, being an ambassador, I’m doing everything I can to spread awareness not just for me, but for my kids,” Kiening said. “We will find a cure for Alzheimer’s in my kids’ lifetimes or their children’s lifetimes.”

There’s no ‘if’ for Kiening — there will be a cure for Alzheimer’s. It’s only a matter of time.

“Our whole family is  always going to be involved,” Kiening said.

Kiening currently serves as a community engagement person for the Alzheimer’s Association, serves on the board of directors for the organization’s San Antonio and South Texas chapter and is an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement.

“A lot of people are caretakers for their family members. My dad had to retire early to take care of my mom,” Kiening said.

The progression of Alzheimer’s and dementia can progress at different rates. For Kiening, her mother’s walk with the disease was short. On the other hand, Ford’s family’s journey with disease has been ongoing for years.

“Everyone’s story is different, but we all kind of share the same care,” Kiening said.

Like Kiening, Ford became involved with the association at the same time her mother was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s.

“I came on board almost kicking and screaming because I was already living through this at home,” Ford said. “I didn’t want to live it day in and day out.”

Ford got her family involved and became a part of the association, volunteering and fund raising before becoming the Walk Manger for Victoria’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

“My mom has Alzheimer’s and my dad now has Parkinson’s,” Ford said. “Parkinson’s disease also has cognitive decline and memory problems.”

Some patients don’t meet the requirements to be in a memory care facility but are also unsafe being left to live on their own. Families battle insurance and Medicare to try and get home health workers with their loved ones. Some even become their family member’s primary caretaker.

“There area good days and there are bad days. Every journey is different, every day is different,” Ford said. “I think people forget it’s not a steadily progressive thing.”

Some days, it’s an uphill battle but both Ford and Kiening are committed to raising awareness and are positive that medical breakthroughs are on the horizon.

“A lot of people don’t pay attention to Alzheimer’s because it hasn’t affected them,” Ford said. “It’s heartbreaking to lose anyone, but to watch a loved one regress, watching a really strong intelligent person turn into pretty much a child is hard.”

Alzheimer’s can be quick, like in the case of Kiening’s mother, or it can be a journey that lasts 20 years.

Victoria’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s will take place Saturday, Oct. 4 at 8 a.m., at the Riverside Park Pavilion at 2200 E. Red River St. To register, please visit www.alz.org.

Madison O’Hara is a news reporter for the Victoria Advocate. You can reach her at madison.ohara@vicad.com.