According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 5.3 million Americans have the disease.

Here in Rhode Island, there are an estimate 22,000 people living with Alzheimer’s.

One of those 22,000 is James Dolan, Sarah Dolan’s grandfather.

To raise awareness of the disease and help the Alzheimer’s Association, Sarah will be hosting a community pasta dinner.

Alzheimer’s, a type of dementia, affects the memory of those suffering from the disease, increasing in severity over time.

Patients’ minds can deteriorate quickly, to such a degree that they can forget their families and even themselves.

The prevalence of Alzheimer’s is also increasing, and the total of Alzheimer’s patients is expected to increase 40 percent by 2025.

Currently, there is no cure for the disease.

“You can go from a normal person living your daily life and then all of a sudden, without even realizing it, you forget little things and it keeps getting worse,” Sarah said. “They don’t even know why it happens.”

A student at Pilgrim High School, Sarah is running the event as part of her senior project. It will be held at the St. Peter’s Tri-Parish School.

Sarah’s grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s almost three years ago.

“He used to come over all the time, and then on my birthday he just couldn’t remember how to get to our house,” she said.

James Dolan has a good relationship with his grandchildren, asking about their lives when they visit his nursing home and cracking jokes to see them laughing and happy.

When Sarah told him about the event, he seemed excited about it, but will be unable to attend due to his health concerns.

For her project, Sarah has been going to various businesses to request food and raffle donations.

There will be a dessert gift basket from Le Favorite Bakery, a free trial from Cox, and a Sam’s Club gift card, among other prizes.

Bertucci’s and Rigatoni’s, both Italian restaurants, donated food for the event.

Sarah said she never anticipated throwing an event like this to be so hard, between advertising, asking for donations and making sure there will be enough food for all the guests.

Sarah was met with kindness and found that most businesses she visited were more than willing to assist.

“People want to help,” she said. “A lot of people I talked to had a parent or grandparent with [the disease]. It’s surprising just how many people are affected by Alzheimer’s in some way.”

While Sarah hosts the event, her mother and many of her aunts have volunteered to cook the food.

Sarah is excited for the pasta dinner. Her friends and family are all coming our to support her, and currently she says there are around 100 people scheduled to attend.

She’s hoping she can raise a substantial sum for the Alzheimer’s Association, but would be happy to contribute anything.

“Even if its only $1,000, that’s still $1,000 the association didn’t have before,” she said.

Sarah encourages people to come out for the dinner to support not only her, but all those suffering from Alzheimer’s. She thinks it will be a fun night for everyone.

“It’s good to know that all this hard work will go to a good cause and help someone I love and the loved ones of so many others out there,” she said.

After graduation, Sarah will be attending Salve Regina University to study nursing. She plans on going into psychiatric nursing. She has always been interested in mental health issues, and working with patients struggling with Alzheimer’s and other conditions like it.

The dinner will be this Saturday, April 25, at the St. Peter Tri-Parish School from 6 p.m. to 9p.m.

A $5 donation will be collected at the door, and patrons are invited to come and go as they please.