💙 Why I’m Walking for Alzheimer’s Society

I’m walking not because I’ve lost someone to dementia, but because I’ve seen what ageing can do — the slow retreat of a once-bright spirit. My great-grandmother, once full of stories and mischief, became quieter with each passing year. She began forgetting words. Then the conversations. Then, eventually, us.

Watching her body grow tired and her mind retreat sparked something deep in me. It made me ask: How do I want my final decades to look?

I want to live to 130. Not just survive, but thrive. I want to move, laugh, walk, and pass down stories to my great-great-grandchildren. I want to be the wise woman at the table, not the one forgotten in the corner. But I also know… life doesn’t always ask what we want.

As an immigrant living in the UK, far from my family in Poland, my support network is small — my Italian wife is my home here, but beyond her, it’s quiet. And sometimes I wonder: If dementia were to affect me, who would be there to help?

Here’s a thought that often stays with me — and maybe it will move you too:

That fear sits with many of us who’ve built lives away from home. The fear of being misunderstood. Of being alone with thoughts we can’t express. And it’s why organisations like the Alzheimer’s Society matter so much.

They offer support that doesn’t stop at the surface. They see the individual, the story, the language, the background — they work to ensure no one feels invisible, unheard, or uncared for.

I’m walking for people like me. For the immigrants, the introverts, the dreamers of long lives, who quietly fear there’ll be no one there to help us when we need it most.

I’m walking for those who live alone. For those with no big support system. For those who might forget words — but still deserve to be heard.

🌍 A Note to Fellow Immigrants

If you, too, wonder who will understand you if life takes a turn... know that you are not alone in this fear. We can stand up now for a future where understanding and compassion aren’t limited by language or circumstance.

🧠 Help Me Make a Difference

The Alzheimer’s Society doesn’t care what passport you hold — they care that you’re human and that you need help. They fund research, offer guidance, and provide lifelines to people navigating memory loss, confusion, and fear.

Your donation will help ensure that someone, somewhere, will be there to understand — no matter the language.

Please give generously, if you can.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for walking this journey with me.