This June my family are doing a 26 mile trek, organised by the charity and I want to do my bit. I have a form of Muscular Dystrophy and I plan to walk the steps from Lulworth Cove over the clifftop to Durdle Door. I did it 2 years ago and really struggled because my legs are getting weaker. I didn't think I'd ever be able to do the climb from Lulworth again, BUT l would like to raise money for Alzheimer's and this is the reason why. . .
Peter's Story
Imagine that you are in your late fifties when you begin to lose some faculties and start to regress. By the time you reach the age of 60, you are back in nappies and are unable to walk and talk. In fact, you lose all language so that you don’t know what a cup or a plate is anymore. You put anything, within reach, into your mouth. You do not chew and need to be fed puréed food once more. You cannot wash or clothe yourself. If you need to be moved you cannot be whisked up, cuddled and caressed, like a baby, instead it takes two people and a hoist to transfer you to a wheelchair or a hospital bed. You don’t recognise the people who love you most. You are scared.
That is what has happened to my brother-in-law, Pete.
They call it dementia, but that seems too simplistic. The disease has ravaged his mind and body. It has stripped him of his independence. It’s truly tragic and devastating the speed at which it declared war, gained territory and has destroyed his life. It’s desperately difficult for the family to witness. My sister, who herself has Multiple Sclerosis, is determined to care for him at home so we are doing what we can to support them both and keep him there.
Anything I can do, no matter how small, I hope will help fund research and support so many families, like mine, whose lives have been blighted by this dreadful disease. We need to give hope to the next generation, like my niece who may have inherited the disease.