Supporting superheroes: Nevada woman raises funds through 5k

Brenda Colling’s journey of having two parents living with dementia, revealed what a difference having adequate support can make for a caregiver. From her father’s diagnosis in the 1980s to her mother’s diagnosis in 2016, Brenda found strength in the Alzheimer’s Association® and turned her grief into action by starting her own fundraiser for The Longest Day® –– a 5K. Now an annual event, Brenda hopes the funds raised will give current caregivers the support they need.

Two dementia diagnosis

During the 1980s, Brenda Colling’s father, John, was diagnosed with dementia in his early 50s. At the time, dementia or Alzheimer’s wasn’t something most people knew about and was often referred to as being “senile.” Brenda, a teen at the time, and her family were unaware this was a fatal disease, assuming at some point, John would get better.

There were no resources or help for Brenda’s mother, Catalina, who now had to care for three children, a husband with dementia and work a full-time job as the sole income earner. Instead, Catalina had to lean on her children for support as they helped care for their father until his death in 1990.

Fast forward nearly 30 years and Catalina received her own dementia diagnosis. This time however, Brenda learned about the Alzheimer’s Association, an organization that has become a global leader in funding dementia research. Currently, the Association offers resources such as education programs and caregiver support groups that weren’t as readily available in the 1980s.

Finding support

In our original 2020 blog about Brenda, Catalina was four years into her dementia journey. At the time, Catalina was living with her husband, Brenda’s stepdad, in Reno, Nevada.  “My stepdad did a great job of taking care of [my mom],” said Brenda. “They lived in Reno, 45 minutes from me. I’d go there five times a week, helping with showers and giving him a break.”

Having no experience with the disease and only hearing stories about Brenda’s father, Brenda’s stepdad didn’t truly grasp what an Alzheimer’s diagnosis meant until he became a full-time caregiver for Catalina. At first, he became frustrated when he had to repeat himself or when she became forgetful. “[I told him], ‘That’s her story and she’s not going to snap out of it,’” Brenda said. “Once he let go, and was just calm with her, he had the patience of Job thereafter.”

Unlike her first experience with Alzheimer’s, Brenda now had the support of the Alzheimer’s Association. She learned about the organization from a coworker and contacted the local chapter in Reno, where she received the support she and her stepdad needed.

“It was so liberating and wonderful to have that support,” said Brenda. “I’m so indebted to Niki Rubarth, the regional director in Nevada, and the Alzheimer’s Association,” said Brenda. “I want everyone to know that you don’t have sit at home and freak out. You have a support system [that will help you figure out] how you get to the next stage.

“I can’t tell you what a relief and how wonderful that was in a scary time. It made it not so scary. [My stepdad] had someone to hold his hand and guide him through. For me personally, for as much as I appreciated that. I want people to have that.”

A 5K is born

She had helped with some 5K runs in the past and decided to create/develop one on her own. With the support of friends, Brenda continued planning the event, despite being in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, by summer 2020 it was clear restrictions wouldn’t be lifted in time, and she postponed the race to the following year.

Sadly, in August 2021, Catalina died. Brenda considered cancelling the race but reminded herself that everyone has something going on and decided to go through with it. “It was awful, Mom passed in August, and [the race] was already going along,” said Brenda. “I had to chin up and go through with it.”

The following year, as race day approached in 2021, Northern Nevada was experiencing a bad wave of fires. It was directly impacting Carson City, where the race is held. “It was interesting, we had major fires all around, [the air was] filled with smoke and ash,” said Brenda. “[We were trying to decide], do we do the run or not do the run. The night before, we decided that everyone can make their own decision, if no one shows up, that’s fine but I’m not going to cancel.”

As luck would have it, the sky cleared up on race day, making it perfect conditions for a 5k. While they only had roughly half of the registered participants show up, the run still happened. Raising more than $6,000.

Raising funds

Funds raised for The Longest Day help fund the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association. Brenda raises money in three ways: Entry fees from runners, sponsorships and raffles. In 2024, Brenda and her team raised $5,000 from raffle entries alone. Not to mention, with nearly 200 runners, the $5,000 raised from entry fees. While some of the funds raised go towards t-shirts and insurance, the vast majority of it goes towards the Alzheimer’s Association.

Brenda’s event, A Walk/Run to Remember, is now an annual 5k event held every September in Carson City near the capitol. Despite a few setbacks, like Brenda’s broken leg the week before the race in 2023, the event continues to grow both in participants and funds raised. In the four years Brenda has been hosting the event, she has raised more than $25,000 towards The Longest Day.

Honoring loved ones

What Brenda loves most about her fundraiser is bringing together a community of people who have been impacted by this disease. Participants receive a t-shirt when they sign up for the race that has a space for them to write in who they’re running in honor of, and Brenda loves seeing all those names. “We get so immersed in our own story of what we went through,” said Brenda. “Every year it takes my breath away to see people’s shirts. ‘Running for Aunt Betty,’ ‘Running for Grandma,’ everyone has a story. It gives me chills.

“We’re all coming together and trying to remember these people the way they were. Not the way they’ve been the last few years. There is a special bond for the caregivers. That’s the part that keeps me going and doing it for everybody.”

True superheroes

Brenda hopes that the money she raises for The Longest Day goes to support other people like her who just need a little extra support and guidance. While she understands the importance of finding a cure, her concern is for the people who are caring for a loved one right now.

“I hope that [the money] goes back into the Association and they’re able to have programs to help people right in the thick of it,” says Brenda. “If you just [became a] caregiver, you’re going to have to figure out how to take care of [the person living with the disease]. That’s what I want my money to go towards, helping those people who are [true] superheroes.”

You don’t have to set up a 5K to support The Longest Day. From backyard barbeques to movie night, to card games, find a fundraiser that works for you on our website. Register for The Longest Day today!

To contact your local Alzheimer’s Association, call our free 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900.