Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page, the photo is of Pat & I at the summit of Roseberry Topping in April 2010 before the FTD had taken the toll it has today.

In the UK, 850,000 people are living with dementia but this terrible condition also affects the lives of so many loved ones. Most of us have experienced this first hand or know someone who has been affected.  Research is needed to find new treatments for all dementias. Dementia is not a natural part of ageing but is caused by diseases which ‘eat away’ at the brain until it can’t function properly.  In the UK, dementia research barely receives one sixth of the funding that cancer research receives and this needs to change. These diseases are potentially treatable but much more research is desperately needed.

Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) is the clinical presentation of degeneration in the frontotemporal lobes of the brain.  Signs and symptoms typically manifest in late adulthood, more commonly between the ages of 55 and 65.  FTD is traditionally difficult to diagnose due to the heterogeneity of the associated symptoms.  Currently, there is no cure for FTD. Symptoms of frontotemporal dementia progress at a rapid, steady rate. Patients suffering from the disease can survive between 2–15 years. Eventually patients will need 24-hour care for daily function.

Pat has lost her speech suggesting that she has the Progressive Non-Fluent Aphasia variant of the disease.  She was admitted to a Nursing Home in April 2015 with severe swallowing problems making it difficult to eat and drink.  To some extent this has been controlled and her weight is being maintained although it is still lower than ideal.  After falling in January 2016 and breaking her wrist she has failed to regain the ability to walk and this year she can no longer weight bear.  In 2017 her condition worsened and the dementia claimed her life on 22 July on our middle son's birthday & just 15 days after our eldest son's wedding which she attended.

The Manchester Neurological Research Trust Fund was set up to provide support for research into neuro-degenerative disorders.  They are at the forefront of international research in dementia, striving to improve diagnosis and treatment.  Their research work is greatly enhanced by donations so please give generously.

Many thanks

John