Climb for the Cure

The Alzheimer Society Thunder Bay is pinning its fundraising hopes on the climbing wall at Lakehead University’s Hangar.

Climb for the Cure, put on by LU students, is a great way for youth to get involved in fighting a disease that affects 3,500 people in Northwestern Ontario alone, about half a million nationwide.

“We need to look out for the generations being affected, the baby boomers who are about to be affected and of course for the future, because ultimately without financial support we won’t be able to find a cure and a better understanding of the disease,” said Nicole Armstrong, a community engagement assistant with the Alzheimer Society Thunder Bay.

According to statistics provided by Armstrong, in Canada every five minutes another person develops Alzheimer’s disease, and for every person affected, 12 people are impacted, usually friends and family foremost.

It’s a growing problem, she said, especially locally.

“Last year the Society serviced more than 600 families, approximately,” Armstrong said. “Those are just reported cases. The Alzheimer Society of Canada released a study showing a lot of people believe that the early signs of dementia are just the same thing as getting old.

“What we’re finding in that case is a lot of people are going undetected with their illness. The numbers I’m giving you are reported cases and we have to consider that there are probably a lot of people unreported in the region.”

The Climb for the Cure event, slated for March 10 from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. asks both climbers and spectators to collect pledges, with the money being use for Alzheimer’s disease research.

LU student Will Gregorash said he got into rock climbing a year ago and it quickly became a passion.

“I also have some people in my life who are affected by Alzheimer’s and I thought it would be a good opportunity to bring both together and create an event, a Climb for the Cure,” Gregorash, said.

It’s also a way to introduce people to the sport, he added.

Registration can be done online at [email protected].

There is a $10 registration fee for all climbers and the event is open to the general public.