Clarkstown Officer Prepares For October Alzheimer's 100-mile Run

Town of Clarkstown police officer Andrew Kelly of New City plans to run 100 miles for the Alzheimer's Association’s Longest Day fundraiser on Oct. 6 at the Oil Creek 100 in Pennsylvania. To date, he has trained more than 1,000 miles in preparation.

The Longest Day encourages people to choose any activity they wish to raise money to fight Alzheimer’s disease. The event culminates on the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, when the long days spent by caregivers of those with dementia are honored.

Having previously run 100 miles to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, Andrew Kelly made the decision to run again for Alzheimer’s after his wife, Colleen Kelly, lost both of her parents within nine days of each other last September as a result of Alzheimer’s disease. Her mother, Dorothy Kelly, had been living with Alzheimer’s for several years, and the stress of caregiving took a heavy toll on her father, George Kelly, who ultimately developed a respiratory infection that led to his death.

Andrew Kelly explained his choice to run for The Longest Day.

“When I saw The Longest Day, I thought, ‘What could be longer than running for an entire day?’ It (Alzheimer’s) is a struggle, a tremendous struggle for everyone, and this race just exemplifies that for me. The race really just strips you of everything,” Andrew Kelly said of the run. “At any moment, you could just fall apart. You start this race knowing you only have a 60 percent chance of completing it.”

“There’s got to be a cure, there just has to be,” Andrew Kelly said. “It’s just so prevalent. A cure would be fantastic so no one has to go through this.”

Colleen Kelly said it took a while for the family to recognize that her mother might have Alzheimer’s.

“I first noticed that she was losing things or not knowing where she was going, or having conversations with me that she already had. You don’t notice right away that this could be Alzheimer’s,” Colleen Kelly said, noting that her mother also began doing things that were out of character for her, such as forgetting her birthday.

“My sister had a baby on my birthday, and my mother called to tell me, but completely didn’t mention that it was my birthday,” she recalled. Eventually, she stopped recognizing who she was, or who Colleen Kelly was.

“You never forget the day your mother forgets who you are,” she said.

Colleen Kelly said her family didn’t talk about the situation at first.

“It wasn’t until we were becoming desperate for answers that we heard of the Alzheimer’s Association in New City. When a representative was on the phone with me, she said ‘I don’t want to say this is normal, but this is normal,’ and she started sending me fliers. I convinced my dad to go to a support group.”

“It’s very overwhelming,” Colleen Kelly said. “I went through many months, years, of not knowing what to do, what to say. When people break a leg or injure themselves, there is no issue with posting something like that on social media, but, if something happens to your brain, nobody wants to even mention it.”

Eventually, she did post on Facebook and found tremendous support within the community from those who came forward to share their experiences with her.

“There are so many people going through this disease, whether they have Alzheimer’s or they are a caregiver to someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s,” Colleen Kelly said. “Finding out you or someone you love has Alzheimer’s is like receiving a death sentence. We need to let people know there is guidance for them. We need to make more people aware of the countless people who are suffering and caregiving, and we need to find a cure.”

To view the Kelly family’s Longest Day page, click here. For more information about The Longest Day, visit alz.org/tld.

About the Hudson Valley Chapter

The Hudson Valley Chapter serves families living with dementia in seven counties in New York including Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester. To learn more about programs and services offered locally, visit alz.org/hudsonvalley.

About the Alzheimer’s Association

The Alzheimer’s Association’s mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Its vision is a world without Alzheimer’s. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.