This October, Natasha and I are running the Dublin marathon together for Dementia UK.

My Dad, her Granda, lives with dementia. Watching someone you love go through that is one of the hardest things a family can face. Life is changing rapidly for my lovely Dad, but also for my Mum and our family. This is something every partner and family or friend of someone living with this condition experiences. We are lucky that dementia hasn’t taken away my Dad’s gentle and kind character, but the small losses of the person that once was that build up over time and the grief that sits alongside the love reshapes family life in ways that are difficult to describe to anyone who hasn’t been there.

Running feels like something we can do when so much else feels beyond our control. I’m incredibly proud of Natasha for stepping up to this huge challenge of running her first marathon. This is her second ever formal run since we ran a 5k as a family when she was 5! It means the world to me that she is running for her Granda and for every family navigating this journey.

If you can sponsor us, you will be helping Dementia UK provide specialist nursing support to families who need it most and open resources and a helpline for families like mine and yours.

Thank you so much for reading, and for any support you can give.

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.