In just under one year, 55-year-old Alan Arnette accomplished what few have done before – he climbed the 7 Summits, the highest peak on each of the seven continents to raise awareness of Alzheimer's disease.
Arnette cared for his mother, Ida Arnette, who passed away from Alzheimer's disease in 2009. This experience transformed him into a champion for the fight against Alzheimer's, the nation's 6th most deadly disease. To raise awareness of the growing prevalence of Alzheimer's in our aging population and the enormous financial and personal burden it places on people with the disease, their caregivers and society, Arnette embarked on The 7 Summits Climb for Alzheimer's: Memories are Everything campaign.
He climbed the equivalent of more than 100 times the height of the Empire State Building, in a variety of weather conditions – including temperatures 40 degrees below zero and winds as high as 70 mph.
Of his final climb to the top of Kosciuszko in Australia, Arnette says, "As I walked up the snow, my thoughts went to the past 11 months and all my climbs. Also of my purpose. I called Cathy (his wife) for the 8th time from a remote mountain and we shared in the feeling of accomplishment and commitment to this goal."
It's fitting that his journey ends during November, which is Alzheimer's Awareness Month. He says, "I hope to share my experiences of climbing and Alzheimer's as much as possible and continue sending our message of hope, need and urgency. This disease is not going away. Over 435,000 people in the US alone were diagnosed with Alzheimer's since I started climbing only 11 months ago. So this is a milestone, not the start or the end."
While on his climbs this year, Arnette hoped to raise awareness of the growing Alzheimer's epidemic, and $1 million for AD research and care with all donations going directly to the organizations he selected -- the Cure Alzheimer's Fund, The National Family Caregivers Association and the Alzheimer's Association. The Alzheimer's Immunotherapy Program of Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy and Pfizer Inc. funded Arnette's climbs.
To track Arnette's continued efforts, visit his website at climb4ad.com.