The picture you see above is our little army.  It is made up of my husband Adrian (known to most as Ady), our boys (Bruno and Luca) and me, Sarah. 4 months ago, Adrian was diagnosed with young onset Alzheimer's Disease, at the ridiculously young age of 55.  It turns out he's had it for up to 20 years.  The process of getting his diagnosis confirmed (not to mention coming to terms with it) has taken nearly a year and it has truly been the hardest thing we've had to get through as a family.  The emotional and psychological effects of receiving a diagnosis of dementia are devastating, particularly when the people it touches are so very young.  We have a long road ahead of us, but as a family, we are determined to do something constructive with the hand that fate has dealt us.

So we decided to build an army.  It's just the 4 of us for now, but we have started our spirited campaign against Alzheimer's Disease and we are committed to getting as many people to join us in this fight as possible. Over the next 12 months, we are going to be undertaking a series of crazy physical challenges, ranging from abseiling to a gruelling 100km ultra marathon, as well as hosting a number of charity events with sponsored Memory Walks and bake sales, not to mention a series of organised talks to raise awareness of this disease and hopefully break down some of the stigma surrounding it.

The work the Alzheimer's Society does is crucial, not only in terms of their research but also in terms of transforming the landscape of dementia.  They ensure all of those affected are supported and fully accepted by society.  In a mere 30 years, the number of people living with AD in the UK will have more than doubled, bringing the total to over 2 million people.  We are aiming to raise £10,000 over the next 12 months to help the Alzheimer's Society fund their research into finding a cure and to help fund more age appropriate services in the UK for the younger members of the Alzheimer's community.

Please join our army and help us turn this negative into a massive positive.

Thank-you x