VMI Baseball announced on March 17 that it will host an Alzheimer’s Awareness Game against Wofford on Saturday, April 4, at Lamore Field at Gray-Minor Stadium.
The event aims to raise awareness and support for the fight against Alzheimer’s disease, a cause that has affected members of the VMI community. Junior Bradley Garner has been leading efforts to bring attention to early-onset Alzheimer’s, which claimed his father when Bradley was a child. The Garner family has since become active with the Alzheimer’s Association, focusing on advocacy and public policy.
“This game means everything because it shows that the VMI community is supporting me and my family,” says Bradley Garner. He and his sister Frankie were five and eight years old when their father was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Early-onset or “Younger Onset” Alzheimer’s affects people younger than age 65 and is rare but genetic. There is currently no cure for the disease.
Fans attending the game are encouraged to wear purple in support of the cause. Frankie Garner will throw out the honorary first pitch before the game begins. In addition to activities at the stadium, Bradley and Frankie plan to run in the 130th Boston Marathon on April 20 as a tribute to their father and to help raise funds for research.
“Running 26.2 miles is a challenge, but it pales in comparison to the daily battle faced by those living with Alzheimer’s,” says Bradley Garner. “Every mile I log and every dollar we raise through Team End ALZ brings us one step closer to a world without this disease.”
VMI Baseball Head Coach Sam Roberts said, “We are proud to use our April 4 game against Wofford to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s and to support Bradley as he runs the Boston Marathon in memory of his father. Bradley is representing his family, our program, and a cause bigger than baseball. Moments like these remind us that what we do can have an impact far beyond baseball.”
