Hunt Valley Couple To Dance For Alzheimer's Awareness

A Hunt Valley couple that started ballroom dancing to get closer to one another is now putting their skills to the test for a good cause.

Steve and Maria Yang, who both work for Johns Hopkins, are participating in the The Alzheimer's Association's Memory Ball, which runs from 7 p.m. to midnight on Saturday at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel.

The Yangs started taking ballroom dance lessons at the in Towson about six years ago.

"I begged him for two years to go dancing and after two years he relented," said Maria Yang, a Post Anesthetic Care Unit nurse.

Although initially reluctant, Steve Yang, a professor and the chief of thoracic surgery at the medical institutions, doesn't regret the decision.

"It's fun," he said. "I can spend quality time with my wife and forget about the troubles in the world."

Although the Yangs don't have any direct family members affected by Alzheimer's disease, they still said spreading awareness is important.

"Even myself—being in medicine—I didn't know a lot about Alzheimer's disease," Steve Yang said. "It's a problem that transcends all specialties. Unfortunately, I've seen a lot of my personal patients suffer from Alzheimer's and it's sad."

Memory Ball dancers will perform a number and a winning couple will be chosen by a panel of judges that include esteemed neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Maryland First Lady Katie O'Malley.

The couple that raises the most funds for The Alzheimer's Association will also be recognized. Donors can check out the Yang's fundraising page on the Memory Ball website.