Sometimes life gives us what we need before we know we need it. That was true for Kelly Millington, president of the New Bern Rotary Club, as his personal and professional worlds began to collide last year.
“I had a grandmother that had issues with memory loss, but I had not experienced it much in my life. That is, until I began to see it firsthand with my dad,” shares Kelly of New Bern, North Carolina.
“He started out as a high school basketball coach,” recalls Kelly. Looking to make more than a teacher’s salary, his father, Dale, started a successful banking career and years later became president of the bank. “He was hard-working and he managed his finances, so he could take care of family priorities.”
At the age of 85, Dale is still in phenomenal physical health, but his family began to notice memory issues and changes in his behavior. Kelly shared that, “it’s the day-to-day” things where his dad struggles most, but “he can remember every detail about my high school and college track career.” Texts and messages on his cell phone get confusing, so many times they will go unanswered. And, they also noticed “there’s a bit of surliness and definitely frustration because he can’t do things the way he used to.”
Kelly’s stepmom, as the primary caregiver, was the first to see warning signs, but his siblings also noticed the forgetfulness and memory issues. They visited the University of Kansas Medical Center for testing and to better understand treatment options. In 2022, Dale was diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Kelly recalls that the diagnosis, “helped us understand a little more, gave us peace of mind to know what he was going through, and was a reality check of what folks going through something like this would see.”
As timing would have it, the New Bern Rotary Club (and the Rotary Rocks team) was beginning to make plans for their participation in the 2022 Walk to End Alzheimer’s just as Kelly learned that his dad was beginning to have issues. Kelly had just returned home from a family visit where he saw firsthand some of the behaviors that his siblings and stepmom tried to explain over the phone. “Once I saw it for myself and realized the reality of what we would be dealing with, I knew I needed to get involved,” Kelly said.
Kelly shared that the timing of it all was serendipitous because it, “helped me a little bit with dealing with the initial shock of my dad’s diagnosis.” It also provided necessary information as he and his family started their Alzheimer’s journey.
Shortly after the diagnosis, Kelly received an email announcing a new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, which he shared with his stepmom. “The Association does a great job with communication and keeping participants informed,” he said, “and whether it ends up being in time to help my dad or not, she’s so happy to see that these breakthroughs were happening […] she took it to discuss with my dad’s doctor.” Kelly went on to say, “I just knew there was hope that came out of that and it wouldn’t have happened if I had not been involved with the Walk.”
The Rotary Rocks team first participated in Walk to End Alzheimer’s – New Bern in 2020. They are a part of the National Team, Alzheimer’s/Dementia Rotary Action Group, which encourages Rotarians to create teams for their local Walk to End Alzheimer’s events. Last year the New Bern Rotarians and their families — 16 members strong — raised over $2,205 to further research and to help care for those experiencing Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
It was Kelly’s first time participating in the Walk and he shared that for him “the visual of the pinwheels” in the Promise Garden were “so impressive and just really brought it home,” particularly as he was sorting through the news of his father’s diagnosis. During the Walk, Kelly held the blue flower, a symbol of those living with the disease, in honor of his dad.
The Rotary Rocks team has been successful in fundraising and set a goal, which they aim to hit or exceed each year. The team “encourages family and friends to use the website to raise as much money as we can.” In addition to team members asking for individual gifts, the New Bern Rotary Club is a corporate sponsor and they have doubled their sponsorship for 2023.
And this year, the Rotary Rocks team looks forward to walking again at Union Point Park on October 21 where Kelly will again hold a blue flower to honor his father.
For Kelly, “It’s the balance of being able to support research and make folks aware of what an issue this is. There can still be quality of life. There can still be joy that comes through the process. It doesn’t all have to be doom and gloom […] and there are resources out there to help.”
LIKE KELLY, 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 Association North Carolina Blog 