Beatrice Kirby not only understood the importance of community – she was a trailblazer and leader among hers in Winston-Salem right up until her late 70’s. Born in 1913, she was the first in her family to go to college. She was involved through her roles as a teacher and daughter of a pastor and was also instrumental in social activism, even marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “When you think about what Black women were supposed to act like at that time, well she was not going to be put in a box. She was small at 4’10” and mighty in every way,” says her granddaughter Keeci Tobias Thompson of Clayton, North Carolina.
You could say Bea Bea, as she was affectionately known, walked the walk. Now her granddaughter, director of strategic planning for the Application Platform Technologies organization at MetLife, and a member of the Executive Leadership Team for Walk to End Alzheimer’s – Triangle, does the same. “I like to think I take after her,” said Keeci. “We have to remember to put our oxygen mask on first. I don’t think she ever did.”
Keeci was heavily influenced by her grandmother. “My grandparents moved in with my mother to help take care of me and my two siblings after my father unexpectedly passed away from a medical complication at the age of 28. They unselfishly sold their home of 30+ years to move into my parent’s dream home and became like additional parents to me – especially my grandmother.”
It was while Bea Bea was going about her many roles helping others in her community that she started to show cognitive decline. “She was always sharp but would get lost going places she had been going for decades, like her weekly bowling league and water aerobics – both of which she was still doing at 78,” said Keeci, “but there was always an excuse.” The signs of Alzheimer’s became more evident when on a beach trip with the women of her family she became confused, asking for her husband who had passed 10 years earlier.
Just as her grandmother stepped in to care for her years before, Keeci and her mom now stepped up to become caregivers for her grandmother. Working for IBM at the time, Keeci moved back to Winston-Salem to help her mom with care in the mornings and evenings, commuting to Research Triangle Park each day. “This lasted about one and a half years before the level of care she needed was beyond what we could provide,” said Keeci. “She passed three to four months after we needed to move her to a facility.”
“For me it was difficult, but it was an honor. To be able to be with her every day. It was more selfish than anything,” said Keeci. “I wanted to have every single day I could with her while she still remembered me. On the very last day she was alive, she still lit up when she saw me.”
Looking back at these years is why Keeci dedicates time to the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. “The encouragement we got from the Alzheimer’s Association during this time was so helpful. And this was decades ago, there are even more services offered now,” said Keeci. “I want to always be tied in some way to the advancements made in finding a cure to this disease that transformed a person vital and beautiful in every way. She was taken before she left us.”
Through her role at MetLife, Keeci educates others on Alzheimer’s and recruits colleagues to her Walk team through a variety of methods – from big lunch and learn sessions to updates on the internal social media platforms to tables outside the cafeteria. It is these tables that she says inspires personal conversations and therefore true connections with others that are connected to the disease through an aunt, grandparent or other loved one. “I tribute a lot to these one-on-one conversations. It is in intimate discussions when people are able to be more vulnerable and ask questions. The cause then spreads organically.”
Understanding the role Bea Bea played in her community gives us insight into Keeci’s reflection on the importance of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. “I think it’s very clear the benefits of Walk – people who have the same thoughts and concerns of losing their loved ones to this disease are brought together,” says Keeci. “Community is so important. It is very easy to go inward – this disease is overwhelming. The Walk brings people together and reminds us of our connections. Our stories tie us together. It is so important to me that people embrace and hold onto their community.”
Keeci and her teammates will participate again this year on October 7 at Halifax Mall in downtown Raleigh. It is while holding onto her community that Keeci perhaps holds onto the legacy of her grandmother as well. “When she passed it was almost like a celebrity. Everyone had stories of feeling close to her in a very intimate way. It was a testament to her life.”
LIKE KEECI, WE ALL HAVE A REASON TO FIGHT FOR A WORLD WITHOUT ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE. Join your local Walk to End Alzheimer’s today as an individual, team, or sponsor.
The Alzheimer’s Association hosts 17 walks across North Carolina. The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Since 1989, the Alzheimer’s Association® mobilized millions of Americans in the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk®; now the Alzheimer’s Association is continuing to lead the way with Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Together, we can end Alzheimer’s.
| Alamance County | 9/30/2023 |
| Asheville | 10/14/2023 |
| Charlotte | 10/21/2023 |
| Fayetteville | 10/28/2023 |
| Gaston/Cleveland/Lincoln | 10/14/2023 |
| Guilford County | 10/7/2023 |
| Henderson County | 9/30/2023 |
| Iredell County | 9/23/2023 |
| Jacksonville | 10/14/2023 |
| Moore County | 9/30/2023 |
| Mount Airy | 9/9/2023 |
| New Bern | 10/21/2023 |
| Rowan-Cabarrus | 10/28/2023 |
| Unifour (formerly Hickory) | 10/28/2023 |
| Triangle (Raleigh-Durham) | 10/7/2023 |
| Wilmington | 11/4/2023 |
| Winston-Salem | 11/4/2023 |
Alzheimer’s isn’t stopping and neither are we.
AUTHOR:
Sarah Osment
Sarah is a strategic communications professional with more than a decade of experience in media relations, content creation and social media. She’s served on the marketing committee for Walk to End Alzheimer’s – Triangle since 2018.
Alzheimer's Association North Carolina Blog 