Thank you for visiting my JustGiving page and taking time to read my story.

As most of you know I have had the running bug for over 10years now! The Manchester marathon will be my third marathon. The reason I have decided to raise money for Alzheimer's is because of my amazing Granny Joan. She is 92years old and suffered a haemorrhagic stroke 5 years ago. Since then she has developed vascular dementia and has post stroke seizures, which mainly affect her memory and energy levels. It sometimes cause her to get 'stuck in a loop' with her thoughts and speech which can be really confusing, and occasionally very upsetting, for her. Despite this challenge she remains cheerful and independent where possible, she is a really lovely person with a lot of tales to tell! giggles a lot and has a wicked sense of humour. Due to mobility problems following a fall my gran moved into a residential care home in 2016. Her daughter Jenny (my mum) visits her nearly every day and we are blessed to have a caring family who all travel to spend time with her. 

Since my gran developed vascular dementia my mum and I have taken an interest in learning more about it. We have recently registered as Dementia Friends in order to learn more about dementia. For me personally this has helped me to get a better understanding of my gran's behaviour and I try to turn this understanding into actions such as being more patient when she is trying to remember, and it helps me to offer better support to my mum. I also feel that this new understanding has had a big impact in my work as a Radiographer when I deal with patients who have suspected or diagnosed dementia. 

Dementia is caused by a number of diseases that affect the brain, the most common one being Alzheimer's. The Alzheimer's Society aims to transform the landscape of dementia forever. Until we find a cure, they aim to create a society where those affected by dementia are supported and accepted, able to live in their community without fear or prejudice.

My motivation for training and doing this marathon comes from spending time with my gran. She is my favourite person and I love spending time with her and making her laugh. She has overcome all the challenges that life throws at her and still remains happy and content. Thank you again for taking time to read my JustGiving page and for any donation that you can make, it is much appreciated x