Story
. . . . . I believe you can ask people to sponsor you for something you are prepared to undertake for charity. The time to do this has arrived for me and so I am going to run the
Edinburgh Marathon on 31st May 2009
on behalf of
The Alzheimer’s Research Trust
Have I run a marathon before? No. Am I a pensioner? Yes. Am I mad? Probably.
Ah, that word ‘mad’. What resonances it has! The common idea of Alzheimer’s is that people lose their memory and sit benignly wondering who the people are around them. In actuality it means that the brain of sufferers forgets to send out messages so they lose control of all functions; they may scream and wail all day, they may not be able to walk or talk or they may never cease walking and talking; they certainly can’t read or write. But one thing is certain is that in the end the brain forgets to tell them to breathe and so they die.
For the last 10 years or so I have watched my husband, Angus, slowly disintegrate. He is now very ill indeed and so for him and for me and for all the other people who are and will be so afflicted in the future I ask you, just this once, to help us all by giving to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust.
I will let you know how I get on in Edinburghbut I can assure you of one thing and that is running the marathon won’t be easy – but it will be easier than finding a cure for Alzheimer’s.