My Story

Earlier this year (2023) my mum was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. This has been such a difficult thing to comprehend for us all, for me and my sister Lauren , but most especially for Mum herself  

We have thought it and seen signs for a while but it doesn't change the shock of it being real, and of how much things are changing. And how quickly. Of trying to comprehend all of the bits of her that we lose every day. 

While we are lucky that Mum still knows so much, things slip each day. She can't read any longer, gets confused, and finds it very difficult and upsetting in so many everyday scenarios to know what is happening to her.  Mum was a primary school teacher, and she took such pride in learning and teaching others and to see her each day, being robbed of all the skills that made up her, is very hard to see.   Everyone says you don't realise what you have lost until it is gone - I now cherish the little things. Realising that mum won't ever write me another letter, or remember how to ring me, and also those special dates like knowing my birthday or that of the girls.  I realise these are all little things that I am upset to lose. I don't want to lose my mum and it's a very strange and devastating feeling to lose little bits of her piece by piece like this.  Dementia is very cruel. 

The London marathon has always been very special to me. My dad ran this marathon when I was a little girl, and the music of the marathon, and watching it on TV has always been something I hold close to my heart. I always wanted to do it one day. 

I'm not very good at talking about my feelings, and just want to be practical. I want to run (I need to learn to run!) and raise money to make my Mum proud of me but also to give our family a focus on raising money which will fund Dementia nurses. Something positive rather  than just focusing on what we are losing through this cruel disease. 

Please please support me in raising money for this important cause - I'm really not very good at Bake sales 

Kirsty x