My name is Pam Nelson and I'm a first year medical student at Bristol University. After less than a year at the medical school, I have come across a staggering number of patients who suffer from dementia or has Alzheimer's disease. With patients over the age of 65 making up the largest proportion of patients in hospital and 1/4 of hospital beds are occupied by patients living with dementia over the age of 65; the reality is that this condition is much much more common than you think and there is no current cure for it.

Dementia is an umbrella term for a set of symptoms which may include memory loss, difficulties with problem-solving, thinking or language. Dementia patients often lose the ability to complete simple tasks such as getting dressed, feeding themselves or telling the time. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia; it damages the connections in the brain over time and leads to the symptoms of dementia where the severity often only increases with no reversible cure. 

The effects of Alzheimer's disease and dementia on family members cannot be described as less than heartbreaking. Seeing your loved one deteriorating each day and losing the memories you once shared may be the worst experience a person will ever have to face in their life time. 

One of our team members, who is also my dearest friend, lost her grandad to cancer when we were in year 9. I remember the day Bethan told me her grandad has passed away; she described it as if she'd lost him a long time ago as he also suffered from dementia. Last year Bethan's nan was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia, a neurological syndrome caused by her Alzheimer's. Hearing stories of how her nanny, who had looked after her nearly all her life, was starting to change into someone unfamiliar was incredibly difficult. Every month her nanny's condition would get progressively worse at an unpredictable speed and there is nothing Bethan could do to stop the person she loves the most becoming somebody she doesn't recognise. It is heartbreaking for me to listen to her story and it is unimaginable how difficult it must be for her right now. 

I am doing this run to raise awareness about Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases that are becoming more common in today's society where people are living longer. The money raised from this fundraising may not seem significant enough to find a cure for Alzheimer's, but other benefits people will receive from this run such as taking a short time of their day to learn more about the disease and spreading the words about spotting early signs would make this 16K run through the mud worth all the while. 

Thank you for taking your time to read my story and please  visit Bethan's JustGiving page to read her story in full and support her first Tough Mudder run. 

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bethan-wilkinson

It would also mean an awful lot to me if you could spare just a few minutes to read through the 'About Dementia' section which can be found here

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/info/20000/about_dementia

to learn basic facts about what Alzheimer's actually is and how you can reduce the risk of yourself and your loved ones developing this cruel disease. 

Every little help makes a big difference