Tulsans Walk To End Alzheimer's on Saturday

Thousands of participants joined to Walk To End Alzheimer's on a rainy Saturday in Tulsa.

The 5K walk-run began at the Oral Roberts University campus at 7:30 a.m., but the 1-mile walk was halted at starting time due to lightning.

Nevertheless, the Alzheimer's Association announced to participants that $275,000 had been raised so far. Funds raised from the event go to research and to underwrite the services provided free of charge to families in the Tulsa area.

Organizers said the fundraiser was not just about money, but to raise awareness about the disease, which affects not only those diagnosed, but their families and caregivers. Participants donned colorful flowers to distinguish between if they are sufferers, if they had lost someone to the disease or if they are caregivers.

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

There are 5.4 million Americans living with Alzheimer's disease and one in eight older Americans are sufferers.