Unfortunately, three of my grandparents have suffered from dementia. My grandfather, though I was sadly too young to remember him before the disease took hold of him, was a sportsman, a jockey and a rugby player, and an all-round incredible man according to everyone who knew him; at the age of 68 he was diagnosed with dementia and sadly died at the age of 72. My last memory of him was seeing him shortly before he passed away, he was bed bound and unable to communicate. I couldn’t understand how someone so energetic and full of life could end up in his state. However, my first real experience seeing the deteriorating impact of dementia was on a family holiday with my grandmother in Cornwall. I was sat talking with her when she asked me what university I went to, I told her I go to McGill to which her response was you may know my grandson William as I think he also goes to that university. Whilst it may seem trivial, this really shook me as I started to realise the real effects of dementia and, in this case, the loss of my granny’s memories of who I am. Whilst my other granny was diagnosed of dementia, she passed away before it could properly set in. Luckily, she still remembered her love for G and T’s! What resonated with me though is the fact that the doctor said it was a blessing in disguise that her cancer took her before dementia did. Dementia is a disease that has a devastating impact, both on the person diagnosed as well as the family and friends close to that person. My experience is not unique, over 50% of the UK know someone who has suffered or who suffers with dementia, that is why I want to raise awareness, and would really appreciate any donations, in aid of helping dementia UK provide the specialist care needed for people suffering from dementia and their families. 

I am cycling the US solo, from Vancouver to Virginia (coast to coast), starting on the 15th June this summer. It is around 6500km in length and, if all goes well, it should take me just under three months. The reason for me cycling solo is because dementia is a mental disease that is struggled with alone; therefore, I want to do this mental and physical challenge by myself in aid of the daily struggle that victims of dementia face by themselves. Hopefully through doing this, we can help raise money for Dementia UK and enable them to increase the number of Admiral Nurses across the UK so that more people who need the support can receive it. Thank you for taking the time to read this and again any donations, whatever the size, would be incredibly generous and will go a long way in mitigating the difficulties caused by this disease.

All the best,

Will