Introduction

If you asked my Mum how old she will be on her next birthday she wouldn’t be able to tell you. This is because she is suffering from early on set mixed dementia predominantly Alzheimer’s. She will be 70! In the lead up to the big 7-0 I decided to do something rewarding by contributing towards the fight against this illness. I am going to run the London Marathon 2018 (which is a week before her birthday) and raise as much money as I can for Alzheimer’s Research UK.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SharonWilson12

In parallel I want to start writing a blog to showcase that whilst this is a very sad illness to watch and can be associated with aggressive and frustrated behaviour, there are cases like my Mum who is such a gentle soul, whereby we really enjoy living in the moment even if she has forgotten about it less than five minutes later!

My Mum is Irish and lived in Ireland until she met and married my Dad. She has a brother and 2 sisters all living in Ireland. My Mum moved to Africa with my Dad starting in Zambia (where I was born) before moving to Kenya and then on to Egypt before returning to the UK 18 years later.

My Mum is very much living in her childhood. Her world has significantly shrunk and whilst she does recognise me most of the time, she doesn’t understand how we are related often mistaking me as her sister rather than her daughter.

It’s hard to think it can be possible for this capable women who used to travel around the world adapting to different cultures, now unable to dress herself or remember what was said only a minute ago.

That said my Mum has always had such a great sense of humour and really enjoys a giggle. This is a character trait which remains and if anything has been accentuated more with the illness, so we do spend much of our time having a laugh, enjoying and living in the moment.

With the introductions out of the way I hope this blog will help those who are supporting loved one’s suffering from the illness, or at the very least create some awareness given so many people suffer from it and give us food for thought about preparing for our own old age until a cure can be found.

I plan to keep you updated on my journey with my Mum’s illness and also with my 26.2 mile journey to the finish line on 22 April!!