John Marcantonio of South Glens Falls said the worst day of his life was the first time his mother looked at him and didn’t know who he was.

When John’s father passed away, he realized his dad had been covering up for his mother’s declining memory. Despite her Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2010, Mary Marcantonio was able to live on her own in the Cronin Rise apartments across from City Hall in Glens Falls.

John said his mom became somewhat of a local celebrity during that time.

“She grew up in Glens Falls and she would just walk the streets of downtown. As part of her disease, she would get back from a walk and forget she walked, so she would go out again,” he said.

Mary walked the streets in any weather, from sunup to sundown.

However, her mental and physical abilities continued to deteriorate, and John made the decision to move his mother to the memory care unit at The Landing in Queensbury.

In 2014, Mary was honored in the opening ceremony of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which prompted her son to get involved in the cause.

John immediately got involved with the Walk to End Alzheimer’s committee, but unfortunately lost his mother to the disease in 2016.

Before his mother passed away that year, John had agreed to chair the committee for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Queensbury.

The local fundraiser has been so successful it has been named one of the top 25 in the Capital Region for the past three years. In 2019, the walk had 1,000 walkers and raised $176,000. He said even during COVID, the walk most recently had 500 participants and raised $152,000. The funds are then used for local caregiver support and research toward a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

“There currently are no treatments, prevention methods or cures and it is the sixth leading cause of death in America. It is quickly becoming its own pandemic,” John said.

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The longest day

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When his mother was sick, John became an avid hiker.

The Alzheimer’s Association has a fundraiser on the longest day, the summer solstice, because “everyday living with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis is the longest day.”

Four years ago, John decided to organize a hike on the longest day with a couple of close friends.

“I went to my friends and said, ‘Hey let’s go do this monster hike together on the longest day.’ I wanted to hike five High Peaks, beginning before sunrise and ending after sunset,” he explained.

John said his goal was to honor his mother and “raise a couple bucks along the way.”

After a few years, the friends decided to open up the hike to the public, and Paint the Peaks Purple was born.

In 2021, the hike went public and received great feedback from the community.

“It was very well-received. We had a ton of participation and conquered 20 of the 46 High Peaks in the Adirondacks. Our 69 participants raised $18,000,” John said of the 2021 hike.

He said this year they hit “a sophomore slump” and considered the post-pandemic economy as part of the blame.

“This year, I’m happy to report we had 45 people participate and we raised over $10,000,” he said.

John said the best part of the event is the number of people that stop him on the trail to ask why the group is all wearing purple, the color of Alzheimer’s awareness.

This year, John had a few special guests on the hike up Lake Placid’s Mount Colden: father and son hiking duo Chris and Aidan Davies.

“A couple years ago, while coaching my son’s Little League team, I was approached by the opposing coach. He told me he wanted to pick my brain because his brother had just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s,” he recalled.

He went on to describe 2021’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s opening flower ceremony, much like the one his mother was a part of in 2014.

“We give out flowers to a representative for each group: the blue flower is for someone diagnosed with the disease, the yellow flower for a primary caregiver, an orange flower for an advocate, and a purple flower for a person who has lost someone to the disease. As the chairman, I was the emcee for the flower ceremony, which is very emotional for me because my mom was once a blue flower holder,” he shared.

John said when he went on stage to be introduced to the flower recipients, the blue and yellow flower holders were the Little League coach’s brother and his wife.

Chris Davies is 54 years old and was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at 50. John was moved only being two years younger than Chris, but he was most deeply affected by the 21-year-old son, Aidan Davies.

“I can’t imagine being 21 and having that diagnosis of a parent. It was hard for me in my forties,” he said.

Since meeting, John, Chris and Aidan have become friends and all participated in this year’s longest day hike.

“We got to the top of the mountain, which is traditionally praised for its view, and it was 30 degrees with no view and whipping winds. After taking a quick picture, we scurried down to a clearer, warmer spot for lunch and I apologized to Chris about having no view, but he replied it was one of the best days he had in a long time,” John said.