Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

My Dad was a great runner and sportsman! He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at the age of 53 and suffered from the disease for 12 long years. He died in 1999 at the age of 65. I run nearly every day and in doing so, I still feel really close to him.

Throughout my Dad’s long illness his body was fit and young with precious organs that kept him alive far longer than anyone predicted. The man who was so full of life, who sang, who laughed and ran like the wind was latterly caught up in a body that no longer worked properly with a mind that denied him his memories. My brother wrote a poem dedicated to my Dad, which he read at his funeral titled, ‘Let us Remember.’ The last words to the poem were, ‘my hands are your hands and your hands are mine.’ I still feel a very strong connection to my Dad when I think about the words of this poem. On Sunday, I am running in memory of my dad and for all those people who are suffering on a daily basis. 

I regularly do street collections in York for the York Branch and am totally committed to helping the society in this way. I have also taken part with my son, who is now 14 years old and who only knew my Dad for four brief years, in sponsored walks known as ‘The Memory Walks.’ I enjoy helping the Alzheimer’s Society and hope that on this occasion, I am able to raise a generous amount of money by working hard for 13.1 miles with my mind and my body.

Thank you all.

With best wishes,

Karen Elstob

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you for reading my story.