Haru runs Bupa London 10,000 for Alzheimer’s Society in honour of her mother

Linguistics lecturer and writer Haru, 50, who was raised in various parts of the world but mostly in Japan and the United States, now lives in Chelsea.  She is new to running, but said she signed up to fundraise for the charity after seeing the impact of Alzheimer's disease on her own family.

Haru says,

'My mum, Eko, aged 81, was never really properly diagnosed but started to show signs of dementia about seven or eight years ago.  She and my father have been married for 57 years and he wanted to care for her at home, but he was approaching eighty and it was affecting his physical health.  It was a really tough decision for my siblings and me; we all had different opinions.  Dementia has a devastating impact on families.'

The Bupa London 10,000 is on 30 May and over 200 runners are signed up to take part for Alzheimer's Society.  Haru added,

'I inherited my love of language and culture from my mother which I'm very grateful for.  I'm very proud to be running in her honour.'

Dr Graham Stokes, director of dementia care, Bupa Care Services, said:

'Everyone's mum is special and Mother's Day is a fantastic opportunity to show you care. Around two thirds of the 750,000 people in the UK with dementia are women.

'Taking part in a Bupa Great Run is a great way to honour someone you love, raise funds to support people with dementia and their carers, and get fit, helping reduce your own risk of dementia.'

 -Ends-

Notes to editors:

For enquiries, a photograph or to arrange an interview or photo op please contact:

Alzheimer's Society                                      Bupa                      

Jayne Phenton                                                Joanne Hudson

T. 020 7423 3595/ 0774 704 6750                  T. 020 7656 2273                               

E. jayne.phenton@alzheimers.org.uk            E. joanne.hudson@bupa.com

Alzheimer's Society

 

• One in three people over 65 will die with dementia.
• Alzheimer's Society research shows that 750,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia, more than half have Alzheimer's disease. In less than 10 years nearly a million people will be living with dementia. This will soar to 1.7 million people by 2051.
• Alzheimer's Society champions the rights of people living with dementia and the millions of people who care for them. 
• Alzheimer's Society works in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Alzheimer's Society needs to raise money to help people live well with dementia today and for research to find a cure for tomorrow. You can donate now by calling 0845 306 0898 or visiting alzheimers.org.uk
• Alzheimer's Society provides a National Dementia Helpline, the number is 0845 300 0336 or visit alzheimers.org.uk
  

Bupa

Bupa's purpose is to help people lead longer, healthier, happier lives.

A leading international healthcare group, we offer personal and company health insurance, run care homes for older people and hospitals, and provide workplace health services, health assessments and chronic disease management services, including health coaching, and home healthcare.

With no shareholders, we invest our profits to provide more and better healthcare.  We are committed to making quality, patient-centred, affordable healthcare more accessible in the areas of wellness, chronic disease management and ageing.

Employing nearly 52,000 people, Bupa has operations around the world, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, New Zealand and the USA, as well as Hong Kong, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, India, China and across Latin America.

For more information, visit www.bupa.com