A Walk to Remember: Daughter joins the fight to end Alzheimer’s in memory of father

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A walk to remember those who lost their lives to a deadly disease. Nina Sossamon-Pogue joined the fight to end Alzheimer’s in memory of her father.

“We got really close actually when he got Alzheimer’s because we spent so much time together,” said Sossamon-Pogue.

She says her dad was a stern sailor in the Navy, but she met a different side of him when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

“He got sort of funny, he had a sense of humor, which he didn’t have much that I remembered,” said Sossamon-Pogue.

Her father started having difficulty completing everyday tasks and that’s when Sossamon-Pogue knew something was wrong.

“He came about without saying anything and it knocked me off the boat cause I was standing there talking to him and he just did it right as we were talking and it was that moment when I realized, okay, we knew he was struggling to remember the normal seas of things,” said Sossamon-Pogue who was in denial after his Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

“You just kind of lean in and enjoy what it is, the new kind of relationship you have with this new person,” said Sossamon-Pogue.

She says there are some stories where you can capture the moment to create new memories. 

“Some days I would go in and see my Dad and he would think he was on an aircraft carrier and I would be there for about five minutes after dinner or something on the way home from work and he’d be like you gotta go. I was like I just got here and he’d say well it’s my night to muster so you need to get going I’ve got work to do and I would go okay well good luck with that have a good one and I would leave. Muster’s when you count the heads to make sure nobody jumped, fell off the ship and I was like we wouldn’t like to lose one of these old people,” said Sossamon-Pogue.

Right now more than six million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s and to recognize those who are living with the disease or have passed away the Alzheimer’s Association is hosting a Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

“They give you a flower that has a certain color on it whether you’re a caregiver or whether you have Alzheimer’s,” said Sossamon-Pogue.

Flowers carried by someone committed to ending the disease.

“Whether you’re walking in memory of someone and they do this garden event at the beginning and everyone holds up their flowers and their pinwheels and they spin. It’s magical,” said Sossamon-Pogue.

The Charleston Walk to End Alzheimer’s will take place Saturday, October 16th at Riverfront Park.

For more information on the walk click here.