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Join H-E-B to raise funds and create awareness towards Alzheimer’s through the Ride to End Alzheimer’s charitable bike ride on November 6, 2022 in Wimberley, Texas.
Meet two exceptional H-E-B leaders, Cathy Harm and Laura Estes, and hear their commitment to lead Team H-E-B in this fundraising event organized by the Alzheimer’s Association.
WHY I RIDE: Cathy Harm, H-E-B Group Vice President of Central Texas
Why is the Ride to End Alzheimer’s Ride important to you?
My mom, Nancy Harm, passed away from Alzheimer’s-type dementia in 2010, and her mother and two sisters also passed away from the same illness. Sadly, I know firsthand just how devastating this illness is and how it dramatically impacts those afflicted along with their families. Since then, I have encountered so many people who have also been affected by Alzheimer’s, and I know the pain and challenges that fill their days. Looking across the United States, there are now more than five million Americans living with this disease, along with 16 million family members and friends who provide them with care. With each mile I ride, I am raising funds to advance research toward the first survivor of Alzheimer’s.
Who will you be thinking of when you are riding the Ride to End Alzheimer’s Ride?
I’ll be thinking of my mom, of course, as well as her sisters and her mom. But I will also be thinking of all those who have shared their stories with me and those who have personally asked me to ride for their loved one. Last year, I asked friends to let me know if there was someone they would like me to ride for. I was honored that so many responded, and I ensured that the name of every person’s loved one was on my rider’s bib and on my End Alz T-shirt that I carried with me through the ride. This gave me tremendous strength to complete the 100 miles. I plan to repeat it again this year. So, as I ride for my mom, aunts and grandmother, I also ride for ALL who have been or are currently affected by this disease. Their strength and courage inspire me to do all I can in this battle to find a cure.
WHY I RIDE: Laura Estes, H-E-B Director of Marketing and Merchandising of Central Texas
Why is the Ride to End Alzheimer’s Ride important to you?
I was first exposed to this disease when my maternal grandmother was diagnosed. I watched her progression through this disease, then with my two aunts, and then with my mother. I have been a daily part of her journey of this awful disease for the past five-plus years. In 2020 and during the middle of a pandemic, my mother was placed in memory care. For several months I could not visit her and that was very painful. My mother is the epitome of grace in the face of this incredibly challenging disease. This ride is important to me as I strive to aid research in hopes that one day there will be a way to slow or end this disease that affects way too many of us.
Who will you be thinking of when you are riding the Ride to End Alzheimer’s Ride?
I ride for my mother, my memère (grandmother in French), my aunts Simone and Jeanette, Jack Lauck, Jack Jennings and Nancy Harm. I also ride for those who are caregiving for family members with Alzheimer’s like my sisters, Cathy and myself, so that we can find strength as we persevere through this disease together. I ride to increase research so that there will be a cure for the many people suffering from dementia of any type.
What advice do you have for anyone who is taking on this challenge and joining the Ride to End Alzheimer’s?
Exercise is one of the best ways to prevent Alzheimer’s. I ride every week, and every time I am on my bike, I ride for Mom. My advice is to get on the bike, even if it’s just for an hour, an hour and a half or three hours. Ride to honor those suffering from this disease. The most important thing you can do to stay physically and mentally healthy is exercise!
Please donate today!
Alzheimer’s touches all of us, and it will take all of us to raise awareness and funds in the fight to end Alzheimer’s. Learn more about how you can help, one pedal at a time, through the Ride to End Alzheimer’s. #Ride2EndALZ
The Alzheimer’s Association Ride to End Alzheimer’s is a cycling event that directly powers the research funding behind the fight to end Alzheimer’s. Inspired by science and driven by a determination to end this disease, participants in Ride to End Alzheimer’s raise funds and awareness to advance research toward the first survivor of Alzheimer’s. You can join and donate to Team HEB here.