Walk To End Alzheimer’s 2025: A Retrospective on the Bergen-Passaic Trail

Photo courtesy of Alzheimer's New Jersey

An introduction to Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease, often abbreviated to “AD,” is a neurodegenerative condition discovered by German psychiatrist and pathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906. Alzheimer’s early process starts with excessive harmful protein growth, most often forming amyloid plaques, which interfere with neuron activity and eventually cause tangles with other proteins vital for neuronal transportation and communication. As a result, its most common symptoms include failures to perform rudimentary cerebral-related functions, such as memory loss, difficulty with vocal communication, turbulent mood cycles, and confusion about the patient’s surroundings and the people around them.

Unfortunately, these symptoms are not the only side effects that come with an AD diagnosis. Due to the amyloid plaques’ tendency to inhibit neuron activity, brain cells frequently die as the disease continues to fester in the patient, causing the brain to become smaller in size and, therefore, unable to operate. Consequently, many of those who contract Alzheimer’s are more susceptible to bouts of dehydration, poor nutrition, or infection, which can lead to death.

Who is affected by Alzheimer’s disease?

The main demographic of those affected by Alzheimer’s lies in the elderly population. According to Mayo Clinic, approximately 6.9 million people in the United States who are 65 years old or older live with some form of Alzheimer’s disease. That’s over 2% of our country’s population. And these patients’ suffering doesn’t stop at just Alzheimer’s, too. AD, in addition to being diagnosed over 3 million times a year, is the most common cause of further forms of brain degeneration, the most prominent being dementia. Expanding the scope from America to the whole world, out of the 55 million dementia patients globally, 33 to 38.5 million (60% to 70%) have also been recorded to have Alzheimer's disease. Needless to say, Alzheimer’s isn’t a disease that can simply be ignored; there needs to be a change made, and it needs to be made now.

How does the walk help?

But one of the biggest obstacles in the advancement of understanding Alzheimer’s is a cruel one: there is no cure. Moreover, due to the complex nature of the brain, as well as the late onset of symptoms, efforts to study the disease have been severely limited on the part of scientists. However, an element of Alzheimer’s research that is within our control is the budget. In addition to the problems listed, one of the most prevalent constraints to Alzheimer’s research comes from a lack of allocation of finances for these initiatives. In fact, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, federal funding for research developments has only reached an unsatisfactory $498 million, which is not enough to address the increasingly dire epidemic of AD cases in this day and age.

To combat this, the Alzheimer’s Association founded the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, an annual fundraising event and walk-a-thon dedicated to raising awareness for Alzheimer’s care, support, and research. An event held in over 600 cities and townships alike, it brings people of all different backgrounds, regardless of ability, together for a day filled with fun, education, and most importantly, activism, as a community.

How has AAYA been involved?

For 2025’s campaign, the Walk to End Alzheimer’s organizers hosted an event in the Bergen-Passaic area of New Jersey. Located in Overpark Park, Ridgefield Park, it ran on the morning of September 14, with 792 participants and 115 teams in attendance. Among these participants were members of AAYA, registered under long-time partner Fox Trail, an organization dedicated to enhancing wellness for residents with neurodegenerative dementias like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Walking alongside caregivers, survivors, and families, AAYA members experienced firsthand the sense of unity and hope that defined the Bergen-Passaic event. From carrying Promise Garden flowers to meeting other younger participants who also contributed to raising money and awareness, our members’ involvement in the walk highlighted how even those who aren’t vulnerable to an ailment can still make an impact towards reducing the threat of the condition. Through this walk, our members were able to not only help out with fundraising, but also learn firsthand from professionals in the dementia and Alzheimer’s wellness field about how to form communities in seemingly unfavorable times. 

The magic that emerged from this event was the fact that everybody had a different experience to take away from it. One AAYA executive board member, Philip Han, who is also a fellow writer, commented particularly on the diversity of the attendees on the morning of. “It was like I entered a new world,” he recalled, “I saw kids who looked to be in elementary school literally walking side by side with patients and their caretakers. It inspired me, as someone whose family hasn’t suffered with Alzheimer’s, that you don’t need to be personally affected to make an impact.”

Personally, I’ve had instances of dementia and Alzheimer’s in my family’s history before. It brought fear knowing that something as basic as my memory could be taken away from me in only a few decades. As a result, seeing all these faces dedicated to making sure that people like me would not have to endure the pain that patients in the past went through turned my fear into comfort. It reminded me that even though disease can take so much away, it can also collect them together in powerful acts of remembrance, determination, and hope for the future.

So, what’s next?

Over 490,000 participants have joined the walk, and 74 million dollars have been raised this year across the world by the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Even though the Bergen-Passaic walk has concluded, it’s important to remember that activism doesn’t stop at just one event. For AAYA, this walk will remain a chapter in our endeavor to remain committed to year-round advocacy, education, and support for not just those affected by Alzheimer’s, but for all who need a little bit of wellness in their lives.

Works Cited

“2025 Walk to End Alzheimer’s - Bergen-Passaic, NJ.” Alzheimer’s Association, act.alz.org/site/TR/Walk2025/NJ-GreaterNewJersey?fr_id=18758&pg=entry. Accessed 21 Sept. 2025. 

“Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act: Alzheimer’s Association.” Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act | Alzheimer’s Association, act.alz.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=AlzheimersBreakthroughAct. 

“Alzheimer’s Disease.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 8 Nov. 2024, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20350447. 

Berchtold, Nicole C., and Carl W. Cotman. “Evolution in the Conceptualization of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease: Greco-Roman Period to the 1960s.” Science Direct, Elsevier Science Inc, 8 Oct. 1999, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0197458098000529?via%3Dihub. 

“Register Today for Walk to End Alzheimer’s®.” 2025 Walk to End Alzheimer’s | Alzheimer’s Association, act.alz.org/site/SPageServer?amp;pw_id=3321&pagename=walk_homepage&JServSessionIdr004=7mewjluhk1.app206b. Accessed 21 Sept. 2025.