Thank you for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page, donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure.

Dementia is not a specific disease, it is an overall term used to describe a group of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills, severe enough to reduce a person's ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer's Disease accounts for 60-80% of cases. Vascular Dementia, which occurs after a stroke, is the second most common Dementia type.

It is estimated that 850,000 are living with Dementia in the UK and 537,097 is the total number of people in the UK with a Dementia diagnosis. It is thought that one million people in the UK will have Dementia by 2025 and this will increase to two million by 2050. In the UK, Dementia is the only condition in the top 10 causes of death without a treatment to prevent, cure or slow its progression.

What pushed us to run this Half Marathon?

Jessica:

Sadly, Dementia has been a very prominent part of my life. My Grandad, Len,  was diagnosed with Dementia with Lewy Bodies, passing away in 2009. Both of my Grandmothers, Vicky and Maureen, have been living with two different forms of Dementia. Vicky was diagnosed with Alzheimer's 2 years ago.  In September 2018, after living with Vascular Dementia for almost 2 years, my Grandmother, Maureen sadly passed away.

Having had these experiences, it has triggered me to push myself out of my comfort zone and run this Half Marathon, with Jack by my side, in the hope to raise money for an amazing charity which is very important to me. 

Jack:

As Jessica mentioned her Grandma, Maureen, sadly passed away in September after living with Vascular Dementia. This has sparked our interest in finding a way to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society in order to help others who are living with Dementia. 

Dementia not only affects the individuals but also the family members and friends who care about them. This means thousands of lives are affected in some way by Dementia. Therefore, it was clear for both Jess and I that raising money by completing the half marathon would be a positive way in which to help tackle the fight against Dementia.

The Alzheimer's Society strives to improve the lives of people affected by Dementia by investing in research into Dementia care, cause, cure and prevention, in the hope to make even greater progress towards their vision of a world without Dementia. 

"You can never be ready when Dementia comes calling for someone you love.  You can never be ready for the fear and isolation of dealing with the challenging behaviour. You can never be ready for the hallucinations which are as real to them as your loved one is to you. Never be ready to calm the one you love when they are distressed beyond words. You can never be ready but the more you understand about the disease, the readier you will be, and the easier the journey will be for everyone."

Thank you all very much for your support.

Jack and Jess x