Dec 28, 2014 2 min read

There was a lot of love shown at Wana B Park in Carmichaels, and a lot of that love was directed toward Patty Lewis, whose family and friends had assembled a team of 106 walkers to participate in the fourth annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s Sept. 6.

Patty’s family, and quite a family it is – 10 children, 23 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren – affectionately call her “Nanny,” and it was Nanny’s Team that raised an astounding $32,554 for the walk. The county total, by the way, was $67,024.

Patty was Patty that day, hugging and kissing people, but not quite sure of her surroundings because Alzheimer’s disease is slowly destroying her mind.

She was profiled in June as part of the Observer-Reporter’s ongoing series on Alzheimer’s and dementia, and that love for Patty was no more evident when her youngest daughter, Michelle Popernack of Bobtown, explained that she and her siblings, along with family friends, created a schedule to stay with Patty around-the-clock, seven days a week, so she is never alone in her modest house in Garards Fort, Greene County.

“She’s beginning to slow down a lot now,” Michelle said. “It’s harder to get her out of bed. She’s just a little slower moving around.”

Not too long ago, Patty was not eating very much, and the family decided to remove a patch Patty wore for her memory. “Since then, she has been doing so much better. Her appetite is back,” Michelle said.

Michelle said her mother’s recognition of names and places “comes in and out,” and as long as the family is on board, Patty will remain in her home where there is familiarity and a sense of stability.

“I think we are doing a good job taking care of her,” Michelle said. “That is the main goal.”