Spotlight - Lauren Hirata

Each week we will be picking members to spotlight to tell their Alzheimer's story and why they are running in this year's New York City marathon. Check in each day for new updates on who will be spotlighted and get to know your teammates...(each person is picked at random)

I grew up a basketball player in a basketball family, and my grandpa was supportive of his basketball-playing sons and grandchildren. He installed basketball hoops in the backyard, and would sit on the porch and watch us play HORSE or “Lakers vs. Every Other Team.”
The first “something’s not right” memory I have was when we were at a family gathering at my grandparents’ house, when my grandpa got lost going for a quick run to the store. When he didn’t come back for hours, his kids (my dad and my uncles) went out searching for him. As a twelve-year-old, it was scary and confusing.

Over the next four years, my grandpa slowly got worse. We eventually put him in a home. The last couples of years were the worst; I saw the toll it took on my grandma and dad. The weekly Friday dinners we used to have with my grandparents withered down to visits to grandpa when he was “having a good day.” For about one tough year, my grandpa was in a caretaking home, until he passed away in June 2007.

I was a pallbearer at my grandpa’s funeral, which was one of the hardest things I have ever done. It was a long battle with Alzheimer’s and we all knew he was in a better, more peaceful place, but it was so hard to say that final goodbye.

My grandpa didn’t get to see me finish high school. He didn’t know I left California to play basketball for Carnegie Mellon University. He didn’t get to see me graduate college and move to New York City. It saddens me to know his life was cut short even before he passed away, and that’s why I run for him today: I run to support the Alzheimer’s Association, and for the chance to help other families affected by Alzheimer’s.

I’ve never been a runner. When I played basketball, I pretended to get leg cramps so I wouldn’t have to run lines (Sorry, Coach!). Then, something changed. After my second knee surgery in December 2012, I realized I didn’t have basketball—or anything—to motivate me to recover. Being a competitive person, I knew I had to challenge myself and after four and a half months of grueling rehab, I ran my first half marathon: the Brooklyn Half. I ran with Athletes to End Alzheimer’s that race, and when I crossed the finished line, I cried. I cried because my toenails hurt, I cried because I was finally done and my thighs were finally going to stop chafing, but I mostly cried because I was proud of myself. I was proud I finished for my grandpa.

Now it’s on to the next big race for Athletes to End Alzheimer’s: the TCS New York City Marathon. I can’t express how excited and honored I am to represent team Athletes to End Alzheimer's during this next big challenge, and I look forward to crossing that finish line with my team, my pride, and my memory of my grandpa.