BATON ROUGE - Baton Rouge residents gathered for The Alzheimer's Association's Walk to End Alzheimer's event on Saturday morning at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. 

The event honored those affected by Alzheimer's, a leading cause of death in the U.S., with the Promise Garden ceremony. During the event, participants carried flowers of various colors representing their personal connection to the disease. 

More than 90,000 people are currently living with Alzheimer's in Louisiana, while more than 7 million Americans are affected nationwide by the illness, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

"This is a pivotal moment in the fight against Alzheimer's," Walk Manager for Baton Rouge Lesley-Anne Rey said. "There are now treatments that can change the course of the disease."

The Alzheimer's Association's mission is to end Alzheimer's and other dementias by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support.