My lovely grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2021 and sadly lost her battle in February of this year. She was only 70 when she was diagnosed and had only been retired for a few years. She was kind and thoughtful and I will forever feel a sense of injustice for her. She liked jigsaws, card games, quiz shows, her garden, travelling and she was the biggest sun worshipper I know. It was a great pleasure to be loved by her. Despite already grieving her for 5 years, you can never be prepared for the loss when it finally comes around. I miss her immensely but as someone told me once, grief is just love with nowhere to go and missing them is sadness wrapped up in the blessing of knowing them.
I will always love my grandma.

My beautiful and amazing Mum Norma was diagnosed with Alzheimers in 2016.
She was okay for the first few years becoming slightly more forgetful each time i saw her. Over the years she became more and more forgetful to the point that eventually she didn't know any of her six children or my Dad.
When I lost my older brother in 2023 it hurt so much that even though she still asked where that man was my Mum didn't fully understand what had happened and she couldn't properly grieve for him.
My Dad became her full time carer eventually and I helped out as much as i could. In May 2025 my Mum and Dad celebrated 50 years of marriage we had a party and it was a wonderful memory to cherish.
A few weeks after this she suffered a mini stroke and was never the same after that. She became completely bed bound about a month later and sadly passed away at the end of June 2025.
We take great comfort that she passed at home in her own bedroom surrounded by all who loved her.
She was the greatest Mum ever and adjusting to life without her is a day to day struggle.

For my Nana. From phone calls every day and Sunday dinners every week, now being your carer. I’m thankful for everything you have taught me and that throughout everything you still smile and light up any room. Dementia has taken so much but not your smile! Love you always!

Im doing this walk for both my mum & dad. Dad had vascular dementia , My mum had Lewy body dementia. Terrible disease, was so hard watching them both decline.
Absolutely heartbreaking

I am doing this in memory of Tom, my husband, who passed away last year. He bravely coped with Alzheimer's for many years and it was a pleasure to care for him at home. Not going to lie
it was hard some days but with support you get through somehow. I look back now and I am so glad I was able to care for him and give him the love and support which has helped me cope, without him, today.

My Uncle Charlie Passed with dementia about 3yrs ago so watching my family look after him was hard and even when I use to visit him in the home in blackwood was really upsetting. Now my step dad Alex has levy dementia which is hitting the family bad watching my mum struggling to, with my step dad seeing him change in the last 12months has been hard.

40 years since my first GNR - I am doing this one, with my daughter, for a great cause.

The day to day impact of Dementia seems to come on slowly, but when you look back you wonder why you hadn’t noticed it before. We lost Colin (Pop), finally, in 2011 - but actually we had lost him gradually sometime before.

We wondered, back then, how was it possible there was no treatment but there wasn’t and he gradually faded from us.

All these years on and that is still the challenge. Funding is only part of the solution, but part that my daughter and I can and will contribute to.

Our efforts in the Great North Run 2026 will be helping us to help the experts tackle this growing issue. 
It will be my daughter's first half marathon, it will be my 15 GNR and marks 40 years since my first (at least a decade since my most recent!). A father-daughter shared event will be a fitting way to honour the father-grandfather we loved and lost.