This will be my third World Major Marathon in little over a year, and my second for charity.

At 16 years old, walking into a "old folks home" as part of my college placement, I didn't know what was going to greet me. Alzheimers/Dementia is something my family hasn't experienced, so truthfully I was a little scared and honestly had no clue what I was walking into.

Don't get me wrong, it was chaos - but it ended up being one of the most special and memorable places I have ever worked. I found myself getting in early and found myself staying after my placement had finished to spend time with some of the residents - with some of them becoming like an extended Grand-family.

I ended up staying within care work for Alzhemiers residents for around 5 or 6 years before deciding to take a break from it (I genuinely felt that walking into that sort of care work so young was starting to take a toll on my own mental health). I do miss it and some days I look back and want to jump straight back into care work, but then take the time to think and also feel that it isn't for me anymore after seeing some of the pain, suffering and heartbreak I experienced all those years ago. I really take my hat off to people who make lifelong careers out of this sort of care work! 💙

At Alzheimer’s Society we’re working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives. We do this by giving help to those living with dementia today, and providing hope for the future.