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South Surrey senior honoured in 2021 Alzheimer’s walk

Marnie Allard is living with posterior cortical atrophy
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South Surrey senior Marnie Allard is this year’s honoree in the IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s. (Contributed photo)

A South Surrey senior has been named this year’s honoree for the Alzheimer Society of B.C.’s largest annual fundraiser.

In a news release issued Monday (April 19), the society is encouraging people to keep Marnie Allard top-of-mind when supporting the IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s in White Rock, North Delta and Surrey.

READ MORE: South Surrey, White Rock residents invited to ‘Walk your own way’ in name of dementia

Allard is living with posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), a rare form of dementia that causes progressive disruption of visual processing, the release states. Damaging the back area of the brain, it may affect a person’s vision, their ability to read and write, and their ability to navigate and to reach for objects, according to information at alzheimer.ca

As it progresses, PCA often results in the onset of symptoms that are typical of Alzheimer’s disease, such as difficulty with finding words, as well as memory loss, the site continues.

Through the society, Allard was connected not just to support and education, but also to someone who knew exactly what she was going through – another woman living with PCA.

“On a bad day, we could phone each other and laugh together and cry together,” Allard says in the release. “It was really good.”

While Allard’s friend has since passed away, the society continues to provide a network of support.

This year’s Walk for Alzheimer’s is once again a virtual affair. Participants – more than 300 have signed up so far – are encouraged to ‘walk their own way’ throughout May, before joining in an online celebration on May 30.

READ MORE: Annual Walk for Alzheimer’s moves to online format for 2020

Last year’s virtual event raised $725,000 in B.C. Funds raised benefit Alzheimer Society of B.C.’s programs and services. For more information or to register, visit walkforalzheimers.ca



tholmes@peacearchnews.com
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Tracy Holmes

About the Author: Tracy Holmes

Tracy Holmes has been a reporter with Peace Arch News since 1997.
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