I MADE IT!!!! Not only to the top of the mountain but also my fundraising target! but why stop there?? Please give what you can to this amazing charity and who knows, when this page closes in December I may have doubled my target...
Thank you so much to everyone who has made this total flash so brightly.. it means more than you know xxxx
Memories truly are everything...
On the 14th October with my good friends Jackie and Sarah, we are heading to Tanzania and trekking our way to the top of Kilimanjaro. This is the highest mountain in Africa and stands at a staggering 5,896 metres high. We will be taking on this mountain over 7 days and battling our way through temperatures which will start as tropical and eventually reach -20c degrees.
Why are we putting ourselves through this madness?? .. Well I am glad you asked..
There are currently 700,000 people in the UK living with demantia and this number is set to reach 1 million by 2025. The hardest part of the disease is living with a potential death sentence for possibly a number of years. If the disease is aggressive, patients can lose their fight against it in months, however most are forced to live with the gradual deterioration over a number of years. This can be a terrible emotional burden for families and carers, who fight to keep their loved ones dignity and spirit alive.
Myself and Jackie both have first hand experience with the affects of the disease, Jackies grandmother is currently living with the disease and mine sadly passed away a couple of years ago from alzheimers/dementia.
The saddest element for me personally and indeed for my whole family, was watching the fiesty Irish pillar of our family, deteriorate slowly over a number of years into someone who requires round the clock care. Thousands of families in the UK are living like this today.
There is no known cure for this cruel disease but there is still hope. By supporting agencies such as the Alzheimers Society, we can fund further research and help thousands of sufferers and carers alike.
Now, anyone that knows me, knows I aint the most athletic individual and I aint that fond of heights if truth be known,, so this really will be the challenge of a lifetime!! I hope you can help by donating as much as you can afford and that together, our efforts will help make a difference..
As I am sure you can appreciate, raising the initial funds is key to the challenge's success. Although it may seem far off it is vital we raise as much as possible in the early stages.. so why not do it now :-)
If you are kind enough to support us, please be sure to leave your name so that I can send you a little thank-you message.
Much love
Dale
xxxxxxx
