Spotlight: Toni Colotta

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)

It is hard to believe that just four years ago I ran my first mile. I was going to turn 50 and I made a list. One of the things on my list was to run in a race.  Several years earlier I had seen the coverage of the NYC marathon on the news. I thought it looked like an amazing experience, but never dreamed that someday I would be here! My friend offered to train me for my first 5K. As always, I couldn’t wait to tell my sisters that I started running and would be running a whole 3 miles!

I grew up in Washington heights the second youngest of 7 children. My sister Marie is the second oldest. We are siblings, siblings with a generation gap, with an 18 year difference in age. We did not always agree, and we often argued about silly things, but the love we have for each other has always been strong. Marie loved to cook and loved caring for all of us. She made sure when we were little that Christmas and Easter and every other holiday  were times that we would cherish for the rest of our lives. She used her money to buy gifts baskets, toys, clothes for the younger ones. She always looked out for us. Always tried in her way to be the mother I lost when I was just 16 years old.  She took care of my brother Anthony (he is autistic) up until a few years ago. I remember her singing and dancing around the house. I remember Thanksgiving feasts that will never be duplicated.  When I had my two children she did the same for them. I always went to her house on Christmas morning and most Easter’s I would stay at her house the night before, because she always helped me make up the baskets for them.  She loved my children like they were her own.

My sister Marie was the one who said “You should run in a marathon”. I told her that was crazy and it would not ever happen. Two years later I ran my first marathon in Philly. Marie told me that she knew I could do it; she was bursting with pride and excitement for me. She was always happy for whatever we did. Always proud and excited for our success!  Shortly after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.   Now two years more and here I am training and getting ready to run this race in honor of my sister. We noticed all the usual signs, forgetful, losing things, confusion, she started cooking less and less and forgetting recipes she had done for so many years, but we never even thought of Alzheimer’s.  We did not know anyone with this disease and we had no idea what was going on. In just these past two short years, my sister Marie had to go to live in a nursing home. She needs 24 hour care. Marie has lost her ability to communicate. She is in a wheel chair. This disease is awful and affects the entire family. The Alzheimer’s Association helps so many families. Families like ours that did not know where to turn or what to expect.  I am happy and proud to be a part of this team. I could not think of a better cause.  

People always ask if she knows who we are. Yes, she knows us. She does not know my name or remember that I am her little sister, but when she sees me she is happy and warm as always.

My daughter and I went to visit Marie recently and it was one of those days when I could see in her eyes that she was more aware than usual. We talked about the delicious food she used to cook. When I asked her what she liked to cook, she smiled and said one word...”pasta”. I showed her a picture of me with the team and my daughter Annie said to her. My mom is doing the Marathon; she is doing it in your honor. Marie took the kindle, kissed the picture and held it to her cheek. She had a tear running down her face. She looked at me and said one word...”you”. I asked her if she was proud of me and she shook her head yes.   

Spotlight: Carol Holmes

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)

When my Mother Eleanor was diagnosed with Alzheimer's seven years ago, I had no idea the tragic journey my Family would succumb to. Our Mother was the Rock of our large family. Mom the Navy nurse met my Father a Navy Doctor and thereafter lovingly devoted her life to her eight children and husband. I had and still have (@ 92) the Worlds Best Mother EVER! She is my HERO and was the reason I joined this team four years ago. Every time I lace up my running shoes, I remember that first year my Mother said to me, “I know your doing something really big for me and I’m so excited.” Simple words that get me inspired and out running almost every day since.

To be very brief about the tragidy of Alzheimers, it is a disease that ultimately destroyed my Family. Some family’s bond, become unitedly strong and face the tragic diagnosis with love and kindness. Other’s become dysfunctional. Unfortunate for myself, my family fell to the later. Four years ago, I was so alone and broken from the loss of my Mom to Alzheimer’s as the disease progressively took my Mom’s memory. But ever worse, dysfunction amongst siblings tried to take my Mother permantely from me.

I am a fighter. I believe in fighting for whats right (my hero taught me that). My hardest battle of my life was fighting to keep my Mother in my life. Over the past 4 years, joining Run To Remember/ATEA was my personal saving grace. Through painful Court hearings in California, I would return back to NYC and join my teammates and Coaches. Some knew the pain and heart ache I was challenged with and listened probably more than they really wanted to. Others just supported me as a running mate. Oddly as it sounds, my Alzheimer’s team replaced the void of a lost family.

My inicial goal was that first Marathon, finish it for Mom, fundraise, bring awareness to anyone who would listen to me. Today you could say I continue to run every year because of each and everyone of my teammates and our outstanding coaches Brian, Jeff, Ali and Glen. I am so inspired and heartached by everyones journey on this team. Incredibly, every year I receive donations from past teammates. Glens correct when he says “runners are special people.”

Selfishly, maybe its because I don’t feel so alone around other’s that understand the pain this disease puts on all of us. I look forward to the day when we find that cure and I still have all my running-mates as friends to celebrate the END of ALZHEIMER’S. That will be the biggest keg party at Steelcase ever!

And to end with amazing news. I will be marring Paul Cote (the man who stood by me through all my family grief) inspired to start running because of this team, at the Rock and Roll Las Vegas !/2 Marathon on Nov.17,2013 my Moms 93rd Birthday. Then a vist to San Diego to tell Mom how “We all did something very special for her on Nov 3, 2013.” 

Spotlight: Bonnie Beukema

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)

My Momma is the coolest lady I know. She makes incredible pumpkin bread and chicken soup, among other things. She demands a bargain and can tell you how much all of her clothes costs down to the penny. If I say something like "Hey Mom, nice sweater." She'll reply, "Oh, thanks. I got it at Eddie Bauer 75% off the sale price and it was only $6.97. Now ask me about these jeans." Amazing. She loves to put every item for me - from a recipe to a bobby pin to keys - in a little zip-lock bag. I'm not sure why, but everything was always delivered in a zip-lock bag. She would tell me that it's safer this way. She is also the biggest fan I'll ever have in my life. No matter the challenge, she was always there to support me and sacrifice whatever she could to prop me up, encourage me and push me to be the best that I could be. Our connection is so strong and I wouldn't be me without her.

She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's last January. We all knew she had it by then - she refused to go to the doctor for about two years - but it was still a horrible shock. She's just so young and it's hard to comprehend still. In all honesty, the hardest part so far is grieving for a future that feels impossible now. For example, I always took it for granted that my Mom would help me raise my kids. This is the kind of thing that makes Alzheimer's so cruel. Of course, my Mom is a fighter.  If I told her that I was worried about her not being around to help me be a good parent she'd probably say two things. First, she'll never give up and will fight this thing until the very, very end. Second, I need to hurry up and have kids already (she has been saying this for years).

So, that's why I'm running - to honor my Momma, the greatest fighter I know. So much more can be done to prevent this horrible disease and I want to be part of that change. I'll be running two days before her 68th birthday through her hometown. With each mile, I'll think about her there by my side encouraging me, pushing me to do it and saying things like "That's why they call it work and not play - now get to work!" with a big smile and laugh.

Spotlight: Alex Peralta

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)

In September of 2001 our life changed forever. It was my junior year of high school. My sister, Alana was in middle school while my older brother was in college. On September morning, my mom woke up bright and early to make her Bustelo coffee. As she brewed her coffee the aroma happened to wake me up in the process. As I’m entering the Kitchen I ask my mom for my blessing and she responds, “Dios te bendiga hijo”. She follows with statement, “I’ve noticed your father has been acting and doing weird things lately. She apparently knew something was wrong but could not pin point it. Several months passed by and my mom received a phone call from my dad’s supervisor Mr. Frank. He starts explaining to my mom strange things he has noticed my father doing. He was arriving to work at 4am and then falling asleep in the parking lot until 6am. Mr. Frank found that very weird and so did my mom. Following that talk, my mom tried to take my dad to see the doctor for a checkup. My dad was a strong Dominican man, who believed that going to a doctor was a sign of weakness. I knew at that point my mom was going to have a difficult time convincing him to go see the doctor. After trying to persuade him for a couple of weeks, he gave in to my mother and went to his first doctor’s visit in years. After several test, analysis, my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at the age 56. At this point, he was forced to retire from his position at Pepsi Cola, he worked for over 30 years.

Alzheimer’s???  I ask myself what the heck is that?!  I clearly had no Idea  what the disease was until I did a little research for myself.  While I read countless articles, documents and books on this disease, I could not understand how a strong man like my dad could come down with this disease. As the diseased progressed, my mother refused to “throw” him in a nursing home. It was against her cultural believes and her wedding vows. We had no idea what we were getting into as a family nor all the obstacles and challenges we were going to face. 

            My dad’s condition progressed at a rapid pace. The last 4 years of my dad’s life, were the worst of mine.  I slowly came to realize I had lost what was left of my father. I no longer had that male figure to look up to or the father to discuss the Yankee game anymore. The loss of my dad came prior to his death- it hit me, and HIT ME HARD. Although my siblings and I shared our own unique bond with my father, I was extremely close to him. I was also the one who struggled with expressing my feelings the most. On March 17^th, 2012 my dad, my family and I lost the battle with Alzheimer’s.  He was only 70 years old.

            While dealing with the loss on my own, my younger sister signed up to train & run the 2013 NYC Marathon. The idea of running a marathon seemed insane, but coming from my sister, I would expect anything and everything. At first, I was a little doubtful of her commitment until I joined her on a group run. Running has never been my forte but seeing how hard my sister trained and meeting the group completely changed my feelings towards running.  Running became necessary in order to heal. Unfortunately, the team last year was not able to run the NYC Marathon. My sister, Alana, went on with a couple of teammates to run the Miami Marathon on January 27^th, which was on my dad’s birthday. Unfortunately, I couldn’t fly down to see her cross the finish line due to an ankle ligament surgery. I am sure my dad was extremely proud and guided her the whole 26.2 miles.

            Now, this year is my turn to RUN for my father, for my mother who cared for him until the end, for my sister who took the season off to bless the family with the first baby, and for ME. This is run is for all the times I couldn’t tell anyone how I felt, for the baseball games we missed. This is me telling you dad that I love you and miss you dearly.

Spotlight: Antonia Strom

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)

My grandmother passed away almost two years ago now after suffering from Alzheimers/senile dementia for over 10 years and she was the most hilarious person I’ve ever known, a true personality.  I can’t tell you how many expressions and songs she had for every occasion, but remembering them helps show truly what a unique person she was.  Some of the best ones are:  When my siblings and  used to fight as kids she would sing about the League of Nations being friendly to one another which was why we should be, when we were upset or sad she would tie two invincible knots to the side of her lips and pull an invisible string up over each ear until she was smiling, when we then started laughing again but became worried other people would see our poofy eyes she would say, “don’t worry about it, just walk quickly and look happy and no one will ever notice”…somehow she always had way of making every situation more fun.  My family and I lived abroad and only made it back to Sweden to see her once a year. So every year we would come back after her diagnosis was a shock, and a real eye opener as to how the illness was taking away the spirit that defined her personality. The “fun” that she had always added to every moment was slowly disappearing and soon she lost her ability to speak. 

I think mankind has shown an incredible instinct and ability to continue fighting through all kinds of tremendous physical pain because of the power of the mind…so what happens when the mind is what is deteriorating and a person you once knew is standing in front of you, but really not there? I would love to live in a world where someone’s spirit, what makes them who they are, is not taken from them by some horrible disease, and that is why I am running for Athletes to End Alzheimers.

My family often brings up my grandmother’s expressions and I sometimes find myself singing one of her songs to myself.  The fun she always brought to every moment is still alive in all of us and is what has really carried me through my training for this, my first ever, marathon.  I think of her and I remember to have fun, and to tie those invisible knots on the side of my mouth and tuck them behind my ears at mile 20 when I think I’m too exhausted to continue J  I will be running (and not walking J ) quickly and looking happy on November 3^rd as I run this marathon for the Alzheimers Association on behalf of my grandmother, Ingrid.

Spotlight: Dalila Simpson

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)

"How's the weather in dc??"... Those are the last words my grandma said to me, before Alzheimer's took over her mind and body. We were all in Houston for Christmas and it was at this time we knew it was time to put my grandmother in a 24hour care nursing home. Just about every 5 to 10 minutes during my Christmas vacation, my grandma asked me how the weather was in dc; even though I had lived in NYC for the last 2 years. Each time, however, I did answer, hoping it would be the last time she'd ask me, but it never was. After that Christmas vacation, I did not see my grandmother for a year and by the time I saw her again, the Alzheimer's disease had taken over her mind. She didnt speak much and when she did, she would only mention her deceased brothers and sisters. At times she thought her daughter was her sister, and her son (my father) was her deceased brother.. By 2010, She no longer spoke, was unable to feed or bathe herself, and did not recognize anyone, which was really the hardest hit for the entire family. It was sad for us to see and deep down I knew it had to be frustrating for her to endure.  It came to a point where she stopped chewing her food; chances are she forgot how to chew. I was fortunate enough to see my grandmother on her last birthday, which was her 90th. Our whole family was there because it was the same time as my grandfather's funeral. Even though she did not speak, she sat in her chair all day with a smile on her face, giggling and grinning the whole time. Deep down, I knew she was happy we were all there. Sadly, in February of 2013, Alzheimer's took my grandmother's life.And although we were all sad that she was gone, we were also happy that she was out of her misery and in a better place.