I took up hiking while caring for my mother who had dementia. As my mother's health worsened, hiking was an outlet and the start of a lifelong passion. After my mother died seven years ago, hiking helped me work through my grief and I trekked 500 miles through Scotland and the Hebrides. At that time I wanted to do more and try to help others in similar circumstances. I decided to use that walk to raise money for Alzheimer’s research.

This April, I begin my second trek for Alzheimer’s research and walk one of the world’s most famous pilgrimages: the Camino de Santiago. I’ll be walking the width of Spain from April to June 2025 — the Camino de Santiago Camino Frances Route, plus some. This trek will span from St. Jean Pied de Port in France across the Pyrenees Mountains to Santiago de Compostela (the official end of the pilgrimage) and on to Finisterre and Muxia on the coast, Over the course of 70 days, I will walk about 876 kilometers or 544 miles.

A further recent health scare adds significance to the pilgrimage, when I went in for routine scans and discovered half of my anterior descending heart artery was totally constricted. It was repaired, and I am essentially ‘reborn’ and able to walk again for the Alzheimer’s Association — this time, savoring life even more. The incident left me feeling quite vulnerable so I hope this pilgrimage will bring me back to independence.

Follow my progress via my blog at: https://axburr.wixsite.com/walking-for-a-cause