Climbing the World to End Alzheimer's
K2 for Alzheimer’s (2014)
Over $450,000 raised for Alzheimer’s non-profits and 60 million people reached through my climbs.
100% of all donations go to Alzheimer’s, none ever to me. Donate today.
K2, the Hardest Mountain for Alzheimer's, the Hardest Disease
I summited K2, the world’s 2nd highest mountain and most difficult on my 58th birthday, July 27, 2014 becoming the 18 and oldest American to summit K2.
Raised over $70,000
Reached 5 million people
6 week campaign
Thanks to everyone. You can read more at this link.
Campaign Support
Abila, Inc is sponsoring the K2 climb so that all money raised donations goes directly to the organizations I have selected.
Climbing Support
K2 was supported and lead by Garrett Madison of Madison Mountaineering, a boutique mountain guide service based in Seattle, Washington.
Alzheimer's Resources
The following websites have information for you, your family and caregivers to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and ongoing research:
Hope, Need and Urgency for Alzheimer's
The spending on Alzheimer’s research pales in comparison to that spent on cancer, heart disease and many other crippling diseases. Funding through the National Institutes of Health puts Alzheimer’s research at $3,148 million estimated in 2023. This is a significant increase over previous years due to extensive lobbying by non-profits and taxpayers. However, it still lags behind equally horrible diseases including $7.4 billion for cancer.
- NO CURE, always Fatal
- Alzheimer’s is also the only cause of death in the top 10 that cannot be cured prevented, or slowed down.
- 1 in 3 Seniors Die from Alzheimer’s or Related Disease
- KIlls more people than Breast and Prostrate Cancers
- No easy and inexpensive method of early detection
- 3rd leading cause of death in the United States
- Every 67 seconds another US person is newly diagnosed, 4 seconds worldwide
- Impacts more than 6 million people in the United States and over 30 million worldwide
Campaign Benefactors
100% of your donations will go directly to your choice of these two selected organizations.
None of the donations go to Alan or climbing expenses.
The Cure Alzheimer’s Fund’s mission is to fund research with the highest probability of preventing, slowing or reversing Alzheimer’s Disease through venture based philanthropy. All organizational expenses are paid for by the Founders and Board, allowing 100% of other contributions to be applied directly to Alzheimer’s Disease research.
UsAgainstAlzheimer’s: has one mission: to end Alzheimer’s by 2020. We work to achieve greater urgency from government, industry and the scientific community in the quest for an Alzheimer’s cure. In the three years since our founding, we have leveraged support from our donors to increase federal funding for Alzheimer’s research by $209 million. Our Founders have pledged to cover all overhead expenses associated with USA so that 100% of your donation will support our innovative programs and platforms.
Fundraising
The goal is to raise $1 million dollars. Remember all donations go directly to Alzheimer’s research and none to Alan or to support the climbs. Here is how you can help today:
- Make a flat rate donation per summit, $100 for example
- Make a one time donation for all the climbs anytime.
- Host Alan for a local fund raiser where he will present the entire year of climbs with an engaging multimedia presentation.
- Join the raffle!!
Make a Pledge:
An easy and fun way to donate to Alzheimer’s research is by committing a small amount for every foot Alan climbed on K2. that goes only to Alzheimer’s.
| Summit | Start | Gain | $0.01 | |
| K2, Pakistan – 28,251’/8610m | 28,251′ | 9,500′ | 18,751′ | $187.51 |
Alan Arnette
Alan was born in Memphis, TN and now lives with his wife in Colorado. He took early retirement in 2007 after a 28 year career with Hewlett-Packard to oversee the care of his mom as she entered the final stages of Alzheimer’s and his dad passed away about the same time. At HP, he served in various roles but mostly in General Management positions including a 5 year assignment in Europe. He started climbing late in life at age 38 with Mont Blanc as his first big peak but went on to gain skills and experience through climbing on some of the highest mountains in the world including on Everest, Cho Oyu, Broad Peak, Ama Dablam, Aconcagua, Denali and more.
Ida's Story
The Warning Signs
We started noticing my mother’s memories had slipped years ago. During the 2003 Christmas holiday, we went to a hotel for their famous brunch. As usual, we all got up to visit the buffet and indulge until we could no more. I noticed my Mom walking around aimlessly. As I went over to her, she seemed startled at my approach. “What do you want to eat?” I asked her gently. “Oh, you know; the usual,” was her noncommittal answer.
In spite of this warning sign, she and my dad continued their independent life for several more years, refusing to give up their independence in spite of our begging. As her memory grew worse, she mastered the technique of the elusive “throw-away” answer. My dad supported her deception either by design or by necessity.
Sitting across the table from her during breakfast, we chatted intently about Dad being in the hospital. I had to keep reminding her that he was not well and it was serious. In the midst of this serious talk, she looked at me with clarity in her eyes and simply asked, “Now, who are you again?”
In 2009 my mom continued to decline. She had trouble feeding herself and doing other daily activities. She no longer recognized or remembered anyone, and she had significant trouble forming words or creating sentences. Her mind continued to be devastated by this disease. Not only was her memory gone but almost all of her identity.
That said, I could still get her to laugh a little with a small joke and even over the phone, I could feel her smile. So she was always in there somewhere.
On August 16, 2009, she passed away.
What Could I Do?
As a result seeing the impact of Alzheimer’s on my mother, it became clear that I had to do something. So after taking early retirement, I have dedicated my life to raising money for Alzheimer’s disease through my climbing.
My dream is that researchers can find a way to stop or a cure for this killer of lives and robber of precious lifetime memories.
What Can You Do?
Please make a donation today. All donations go to the Alzheimer’s and none to my climbing so please act today. You can also help with fund raising today.
Campaign Supporters
Abila is the lead commercial sponsor for my K2 for Alzheimer’s campaign so that 100% of your donations will go directly to your choice of the selected organizations. Please visit Abila to learn more.
Abila: Abila serves strategic leaders and managers in dynamic nonprofit organizations, associations and government agencies with comprehensive membership management SaaS and software solutions. Organizations trust Abila to simplify and streamline accounting, donor and grant management and large scale fundraising processes so they can perform their best work and focus on delivering their unique mission. For Abila, it’s personal and backed by a team with more than 50 years of experience dedicated to helping organizations achieve their vision.
Expedition Support
I used professional logistics for most of my expeditions to ensure safety, success and give me time to focus on fund raising instead of logistics. K2 is supported and lead by Garrett Madison of Madison Mountaineering, a boutique mountain guide service based in Seattle, Washington.
Preparing for a Climb is More Than Training
Summit Coach
From Your First Summit to Everest. One Coach, the Whole Way.
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