About

This year I lost my Nanna June to Alzheimers; my Nanna Barbara also suffers from Dementia. I'm not one to be serious, and I often laugh and joke about my "mad nans", but it is a serious illness, and has affected us as a family for the last five years, together with others close to me. For fear of showing my soft side, I won't go into it too much, but it's been tough for my mum, coming to terms with the fact that her mum is now a completely different person. She can be a lovely, if forgetful, old lady one minute, and the next she's violent, angry, hates us all and is disowning us. We've even had police involved after an escape act from the nursing home one Tuesday night. It's a terrible illness, and it is incredibly tough for people who are suffering, and their families. Imagine thinking your husband passed away two weeks ago, your family have sold your house from under your nose and locked you up in a care home when there's nothing wrong with you. Imagine thinking you are the only sane person around, and that everybody is out to get you. Imagine waking up in hospital and not knowing where you are or why you are there. This is what my nan goes through every day. She's been mourning the loss of my granddad as though it was yesterday, despite it being five years. It's horrible, seeing the lady who did so much for me when I was younger, so helpless and confused. And so that's why I've had the (completely idiotic) idea of cycling 400km from Vietnam to Cambodia next year, to raise money so that in the future, hopefully other families don't have to suffer; other people don't have to suffer. I don't exercise, I'm lazy. I also don't deal with heat very well. I burn. This is going to be tough, but if what I do helps just one person then it's worth it, so dig deep. And if you do donate, I give you permission to laugh at me when I'm a sunburnt, sweaty mess. On yer bike!