Terminally ill and seventy plus, but Daphne is determined to finish marathon for Alzheimer’s Society
Published 7 April 2011
Daphne Hathaway, aged 75, may have terminal cancer, but she is still taking part in this year’s Virgin London Marathon to raise funds for Alzheimer’s Society.
Daphne, who was diagnosed with cancer of the bone marrow just over a year ago, said,
Daphne is taking part in the marathon in honour of her husband of 53 years, Andy, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease 11 years ago aged 67. Both her mother and mother-in-law died with dementia and Daphne's father, Bill, now aged 100, also has Alzheimer's disease. Daphne says,'As long as I'm still alive, I want to live. I want to make the most of what I can do, while I can still do it, and raising money for research into Alzheimer's disease is the best use of my time.'
Daphne has had more experience of dementia than many since Andy's mum, Edith, developed Alzheimer's disease about 25 years ago. Soon after that Daphne's own mother, Lily, showed signs of the disease.'There are 750,000 people in this country with dementia and within ten years that figure will be over a million, so it is something which affects everybody at some time.'
In the past, Daphne has run half-marathons, including the Bupa Great North Run, and distances ranging from 5k to 20 miles, but because her bones are fragile and could easily fracture, Daphne has been advised by her doctors that she should walk the 26 mile course. Daphne said,
Alzheimer's Society's Chief Executive, Jeremy Hughes, said,'I started running just before I retired, to do something different with my life. I joined the local running club which helped me to keep fit and make new friends. Walking the marathon will be a much bigger challenge than actually running it.'
You can support Daphne at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DaphneHathaway'Daphne is an incredible lady and an inspiration to all of us. One in three people over the age of 65 will die with dementia and we rely on donations to support people like Andy and Daphne. We hope to raise £350,000 from the Virgin London Marathon this year. We are grateful for everyone's support and hope people will cheer Daphne and the rest of the team across the finishing line on race day'.
