I'm running the Cardiff Half Marathon for Dementia UK because both my father (Jarnail Singh) and my father in law (Santokh Singh) were diagnosed with Dementia. My father passed away in October 2021 from Covid before the dementia had progressed however the decline we have seen in my father in law since he was diagnosed in March 2022 is heartbreaking. He was the head of our house, a proud Sikh man - now he doesn’t even remember where his house is. He was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer’s and the decline has been so rapid.

My husband (Dal Dhanda) has given up work to be a full time carer supporting my mother in law (Balbir Kaur) in managing father in law at home. There are days that are so tough I can’t even explain. Father in law is not easy to manage as he is so agitated at all times and does not sleep at night so it often feels like we get no respite from it. It is obviously way harder for my husband and mother in law as the carers but life has changed so much for us all.

I am running the half marathon because I am in awe of the strength dementia carers have. I haven’t run properly for a number of years but every time I struggle I think of what my husband and mother in law do and how strong they are and it gets me through. I have one daughter (Amrit Dhanda) also running the half marathon and also gave me the inspiration to run and one daughter (Preet Dhanda) who will be cheering us on with my husband. We try and support each other as a family to help us get through the tough times.

If I can raise anything to help others whom are impacted by this awful disease I will feel like I have accomplished something. I am running for my family, for my Dad and for who my father in law was and for all the other families impacted by Dementia.

Dementia UK is the specialist dementia nurse charity. Our nurses, called Admiral Nurses, provide life-changing care to families affected by all forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. They help people with dementia stay independent for longer, and support the people caring for them so they have the strength to cope with the bad days, and the energy to enjoy the good days. They have the time to listen and the knowledge to solve problems, helping families take back control when they are struggling.