Alzheimer's disease takes center stage in Harrisburg Saturday with the annual Walk to End Alzheimer's on City Island.
The event, which begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. and an opening ceremony at 9:30 a.m., raises awareness and funds for Alzheimer's care, support and research.
Actress and producer Hillary B. Smith, known to soap opera fans as Nora Buchanan from "One Life to Live," will be in Harrisburg, serving as captain of team "A Million Happy Nows." The team is named for a film that she is acting in and helping to produce.
"A Million Happy Nows" tells the story of soap opera actress Lainey Allen, played by Crystal Chappell, and her publicist Eva Morales, played by Jessica Leccia, who are life partners. As the movie unfolds, it becomes clear that Lainey suffers from early onset Alzheimer's, which often appears when someone is in their 40s or 50s.
"When you see this film, you'll see Alzheimer's doesn't care who the victim is; it has no boundaries and it hits the whole family. This is really a three character story – Lainey, Eva and Alzheimer's. Who is going to be the winner?" said Smith, 57, who plays the role of the soap opera's executive producer in "A Million Happy Nows," which will be released at upcoming film festivals. Smith said she hopes the movie will end up in general distribution.
While more than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's, a disease that causes a slow decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills, the incidence of Alzheimer's is not on the rise, said Dr. Claire Flaherty, clinical neuropsychologist at Penn State Hershey Medical Center .
"It is primarily a disease of aging, and the American population is aging, leading to a higher prevalence of Alzheimer's disease patients with each passing year," Flaherty said. "As baby boomers continue to age, the incidence of Alzheimer's will become significantly higher since baby boomers represent 35 percent of the adult population."
Early Alzheimer's disease, which represents less than 4 percent of all cases, isn't on the rise either, but is better identified due to newer, better criteria for diagnosis, Flaherty said.
Through working on the movie, set to begin filming next month in California, Smith has become passionate about making people aware of Alzheimer's disease. She also has a personal connection to Alzheimer's disease; two uncles were diagnosed with it and one has since died.
"This movie has been a rewarding experience already and we haven't even started filming," Smith said. "As we have researched, everybody who has been touched by the disease has been so open in reaching out and telling us about the disease. It's been so heartfelt and humbling to see people who just want to get the word out, who want to explain what they're feeling and who want to find a cure."
For more information on the one-mile Walk to End Alzheimer's, contact the Greater Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association at 651-5020 or visit www.alz.org/pa.