Well, I did it! I walked the 3 miles along the designated route in Newport, RI, and I helped raise some money for this very worthwhile cause.

Everyone gathered at the starting point, which was located on the property of Salve Regina University. That's where I signed in and waited for the walk to begin. There were refreshments, a number of speeches, and then the enthusiastic send-off.



Now, I should mention that the weather was ideal and less than ideal at the same time. A hurricane had grazed the state just the day before, so there was a bit more wind than usual and a heck of a lot more humidity than would normally be found at this time of year, but the temperature was mild, which pleased all the walkers. Without that humidity and overly-balmy wind, all would have been perfect. We were all thankful that the temp didn't get higher because it already felt like we were functioning in a greenhouse.

We stepped off at exactly 11:00 AM and walked along one of the main roads of the campus out to Bellevue Avenue, which is the road known as the road of mansions. Tourists flock to this area to view the many "summer cottages" of the rich and famous from days past, so this was a beautiful route to walk. I was doing quite nicely, thank you, keeping up with the other walkers, although I have to admit that I was in the middle pack. By the time I reached the end of the road where there's a view of the ocean (which was also the half-way mark of the walk), I was feeling quite sick.

I know that I was dehydrated because "silly me" had not consumed any water prior to the walk, nor did I have any water along the walk. My face was over-flushed, my hands and fingers had swollen and I could feel no sweat on my body at all. I had slowed my pace, but was now feeling extremely nauseous and somewhat light-headed, enough so that the people manning the check-point asked me to rest a bit and offered me transportation back to the university.

I did pause at this location, though I refused to stop. I simply paced around as I drank some water and then took an apple. I took some bites of the apple, let them "set in", and I could feel myself improving little by little. Once the dizziness subsided and I felt a little less sick to my stomach, I decided that I would go on. I was reminded that I did not have to...I had already walked half of the route and transportation was available to me, the other walkers had passed me so I would now be walking all alone for what was still a long way back. I considered what was said to me, but I did want to complete the walk.

I grabbed a bottle of water and another apple and off I went. The little applause I got from the checkpoint crew wasn't necessary because I just wanted to try to make it all the way, anyway...or, at least, go as far as I could. I must say, the police officer that monitored the trailing walkers was excellent as he would continue to check in on me throughout the walk, asking how I was doing and if I needed any assistance. He was both encouraging and a friend to me as he was the only contact I had for the entire second half of the walk.

I did have to slow down to a crawl twice along the way when nauseousness set in again, but I never stopped. And, although I was the last to return, I did complete the walk. Thank goodness no one made a fuss, but it felt good when two volunteers greeted me just outside of the property, welcomed me and engaged me in some friendly dialogue, and walked in with me so I wouldn't be walking in alone. I think the distraction they were providing is what eased the intense wave of "not feeling good" that suddenly came over me shortly after I sat down. I honestly thought I was going to pass out, but someone had nonchalantly placed a cold wet towel on the back of my neck as the two women kept talking to me while I had my head down. It all passed rather quickly and I suddenly felt perfectly fine. It was amazing how I no longer felt any sign of illness, weakness, or tiredness.



This is when I helped myself to a nice big slice of watermelon and some wedges of pineapple. Then I grabbed another bottle of water, said good-bye to the people I had been sitting with, and...you're not going to believe this............ I went for a walk! Yep, I decided to finish my "cooling down and resting a bit more" by walking along the nearby cliffs. And, why not? I felt so darn good!

I appreciate all those who contributed to my efforts to help this organization. Family members, friends, and even a fellow blogger made donations. In closing, I do need to mention that it was these people who donated to the Alzheimer's Association through me that provided the true inspiration that made me keep going. I felt that they had generously given all that they could give, so I owed it to them to do my very best. I'm now proud to say that my walk was successful, the total amount I had raised exceeded my personal goal of $200, and the entire event was also a complete success!