It's the only major cause of death in america that cannot be prevented or slowed down ..

And one in three seniors die with the disease.

That's according to the alzheimer's association ..

A group dedicated to finding a cure for the disease that's only growing.

But so is support for research in the area.

Our madalyn o'neill shows us how.

Juli moen 58:49 "we need to find a cure."

Through rain or shine ... kari paterson exec.

Dir., alzheimer's association southcentral wi chapter 5:39 " just like the post office."

... and good times and bad ... juli 00:47 "we're all here to support her."

... juli moen is there for her mother.

Juli 59:45 "my mom is awesome.

She has a smile on her face everyday.

She just does her thing.

She's inspiring, herself, because she just continues to have a positive attitude and she moves forward."

After an alzheimer's diagnosis last year ..

Juli 00:17 "just forgetfulness, i think, probably the most you know.

Nan: "i know her name yet though.

Laughs ... nan lazarz's family is stepping up to support her.

Nan lazarz 3:09 "perfect, terrific.

Very nice, very happy about that."

About 1,000 people walking in the same shoes as juli and nan are braving the wind and rain for the walk to end alzheimer's.

Kari 8:48 "i'm feeling inspired.

I'm feeling cold, but i'm inspired by how many people who are here despite the not great weather forecast and conditions.

It just shows how much this is impacting them."

9:03 in this gloomy fall weather ... kari 6:30 "they're out here finding joy where otherwise it could be sort of a depressing situation they have."

.... flowers are blooming.

Kari 7:33 "we give everyone here a promise garden flower."

The orange flowers are for supporters ..

The blue flowers for those living with dementia or alzheimers ..

A disease one person in the country develops every 65 seconds according tothe alzheimer's association ... meaning chances are, since this story began, there's been a new diagnosis.

About 16 million people are caretakers to those with alzheimer's in the country ..

The yellow flowers are for them.

Tana dreier 20:02 "our flowers turned colors this year."

Purple flowers mean you've lost a loved one.

Tana 20:04 "we walked 11 years with yellow and they changed to purple this year."

This family lost a mother and grandmother ... ali garza 20:32 "she'd be really proud."

... now they're walking to keep her memory alive.

Garza 20:22 "it gives us hope that not evyerone's going to have to have this fate for their loved one and we'll find a cure and no one will have to experience this again."

As nan's family creates new memories on this walk ... juli 2:22 "hopefully it's a start of many walks for us."

... they're finding a ray of hope among the clouds.

Juli 00:03 "it's a good inspiration for all of us."

00:08 in madison, mo, wisc news 3 the walk to end alzheimer's has been an annual event since the '80s.

Organizers tell us this year at memorial high school was the largest yet ..

Raising nearly 200-thousand dollars.