Man Helps Raise $750K+ For Alzheimer's Patients With Bergen Walk

PARAMUS, NJ — After his mother developed Alzheimer's disease, Russell Rothman did not know what to do.

Rothman called Alzheimer's New Jersey and stayed on the phone with them for 90 minutes.

"I was so grateful to them," said Rothman, a longtime Oradell resident who now is chairman of the organization. "Once we got my mom help, I called them back and asked them how could I help?"

Rothman started the Walk To Fight Alzheimer's nearly 20 years ago.

More than 600,000 people in New Jersey are affected by Alzheimer’s and dementia, including 180,000 individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers, Alzheimer's New Jersey stated in a press release.

Last year's walk raised $750,000, the organization said. Several walks are held throughout New Jersey, including the Bergen County walk Sunday at Bergen Community College. The money is used in part to help fund Alzheimer's research.

"I'm very optimistic about the amount of research that's been going on around the world," Rothman said. "All over America there's some very interesting studies being done. One is looking for a vaccine that you'd take in your 20s or 30s. Others are looking at gene splicing; a lot of the drug trails are looking to slow it down."

To register for one of the walks, visit alznj.org or call 973-586-4300.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo courtesy of Terese Kelly Greer, Rosica Communications