DIO Regional Delivery and 48 CES Operations, based at RAF Lakenheath, are coming together to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society. On 17 June 2021 we will be taking part in the ‘Cupcake Day’. We’ll be holding a cupcake competition along with selling afternoon teas and a number of other fun activities for all ages to raise as much money as we can in aid of this most worthy charity.

One member of the fundraising team has had first-hand experience of losing a loved one to dementia, so this cause is certainly close to their heart and has given them insight into the struggles and heartbreak this awful illness brings. Please take the time to read the below from someone you all know…

Most people know that sufferers of Alzheimer’s or dementia become forgetful, what they don’t know are the endless struggles that accompany that forgetfulness. It often starts off slowly with the odd thing being forgotten here and there, or not being able to find the right word to use in conversation, but over time it steals every last piece of your loved one’s memories and personality.

Short term memory is affected first, sufferers often can’t tell you what day, or even year, it is and as the illness progresses sufferers become more and more confused, often living decades in the past as they are the only memories they have left. All you can do is play along with the world the sufferer is living in and try to keep them as calm as possible with quiet words, a hug or gentle touch to reassure them. One thing that no-one really tells you is that sufferers like to walk. Specialist dementia facilities are designed in a loop so that residents can walk for as long as they like without getting lost or coming to a dead end.

We all know that dementia sufferers eventually forget who their families are and, while that is heart breaking for the family, what is more devasting is the fact that for short, random snippets of time sufferers will become completely lucid and will know exactly who everyone is. They will seem like their old selves before disappearing back into the dark hole of confusion and extreme anxiety that is Alzheimer’s and dementia. They return, for ever longer periods, to a shell of the person you know and love.

Most of us have lost someone close to us over the years, so we know, all too well, how painful the grief is. Now imagine repeating that loss over and over and over again for years on end; that’s what it’s like living with a loved one with dementia. Every time they come back to you, lucid, smiling and knowing who you are, a little bubble of hope bursts in your heart that the doctors got the diagnosis wrong. But then, just as quickly as they arrived, they leave you again and you are left staring into vacant, terrified eyes, grieving for yet another lost moment and what the future holds.

Alzheimer’s and dementia are wicked illnesses which eventually progress to the point where the sufferer is completely bed ridden, then forgets how to eat or drink and, in the end, slips away from the torment; however, that can take years.

It sounds awful, but in a way, we were lucky that we didn’t have to watch my Dad laying in a bed slowly starving to death and he didn’t have to go through that either. He was always a great big bear of a man with a super sharp mind and a wicked sense of humour, and I’m not sure I could have coped with that on top of everything else. His dementia seriously affected his coordination and, in 2017, he slipped getting out of the shower and hit his head. This caused a massive brain haemorrhage and after five days in intensive care, we removed life support. He slipped away peacefully two days later and my world crashed down around me. Being a Daddy’s girl, I will never get over the loss or the memories of watching him suffer and struggle – particularly as getting dementia was his biggest fear.

Not nearly enough is known about Alzheimer’s and dementia so please, please consider giving as little or as much as you are able in support of this wonderful charity. Every penny can make a difference! xx

Thank you for taking time to visit our fundraising page and we hope to see you on the 17th June for lots of Cake and Tea.

DIO Regional Delivery and 48 CES Operations Team xx