LANSING - Nearly 1,000 people gathered around the State Capitol for the Walk to End Alzheimer's event on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015.

The Walk to End Alzheimer's is the world's largest event that raises awareness and funds for the care, support and research of Alzheimer's Disease. Today, more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease.

"Seeing everybody come out and support and seeing how many people it really has affected... I don't think you really understand until you see everyone with their flowers and you see that it's really not just a small thing, it's everywhere," said Haley Clark, walker and volunteer.

Many who were there to support the event have been personally affected by the disease, like Carolyn Schmidt, who lost her father, Hubert Junior Wade, to the disease in 2013.

"It (happened in) the beginning of 2007, it was like it just came to light. My mother got really ill, she had a stroke and she wasn't able to do everything that she did... She was the brains and he was the muscle, and when she got sick, his disease really progressed," said Schmidt.

Alzheimer's disease is currently the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. And while it's hard for those who have been diagnosed, it's just as difficult for their care takers and loved ones.

"The type of Alzheimer's that affected his brain was that he didn't know he had the disease and you couldn't tell him he had the disease. He never understood, never accepted the fact that he had the disease," said Schmidt.

Schmidt's father was one of many who was honored in the Walk to End Alzheimer's event; an event that reminded millions, like Schmidt, that they're not alone.

"Even when he couldn't speak anymore, he had the ability to communicate his love in a touch or a look. So, I feel blessed," said Schmidt.