Extreme Knitting Redhead: Awwwwwwh!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Awwwwwwh!

I got a lovely card from Lochlan and his mum and dad at the weekend, thanking me for the jumper. I love the card that Zoe and Lochlan made - look at those cute little footprints!

The jumper is too big for him at the moment. He's just 6 months old now and I knitted the 6 - 9 months size hoping it would be OK for him to grow into so I'm pleased that he'll get lots of wear out of it. It was also a great relief to hear that they love green and doesn't he look gorgeous.

Yesterday I ran a local 10k race as a break from my marathon training (I'm into the really tough weeks with high mileage now). It was a beautiful day for it as it was warm but with a gentle breeze. The course is not for the faint-hearted as it's rather hilly but as it was only 10k I just trotted round and thoroughly enjoyed it. Next weekend it's back to a 20 miler on a similarly hilly route.

2 comments:

Carol said...: Well done with both the sweater and the running! I'm going for 10+ miles this coming weekend.; September 22, 2008 at 2:28:00 PM PDT
Shan said...: Ay carumba, lady. My shins are aching just reading about that!; September 23, 2008 at 11:05:00 PM PDT

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Mum's Story

In 1997 my mother, then aged 81, had a series of minor strokes. Shortly after that we started to notice behavioural changes notably memory loss and confusion over everyday items. We thought it was just old age finally catching up with her. Then she started wandering and had violent mood swings. Although she already lived with us it became obvious that she couldn't be left alone for long and so I left my job to care for her. The next few years saw a gradual decline into the blackness that is 'vascular dementia'. My normally placid mum became violent and aggressive. She had psychotic incidents where she would see imaginary people (children hiding in her wardrobe, Russians sitting on the stairs, women stealing her clothes) and she would shout at them and sometimes throw things too. She was so convincing that we used to go and check that there wasn't anyone there! When my sister died mum did not know who Judy was or that she was her daughter. There came a point when I suddenly realised she no longer knew that I was her daughter and this was a terrible time for me. In the last 2 years that she lived with us, life for us all became almost unbearable as she needed 24 hour care - she couldn't be left alone at all because she would either wander off or hurt herself, she never slept for more than 30 minutes at a time during the night, she became incontinent and incapable of doing anything for herself. Finally my husband and I realised that we could no longer provide her with the care that she needed and she went to live in a special care home where the team did a splendid job caring for her in the last few months of her life. There she lived a zombified existence unaware of who she was, what she was or where she was. It was heartbreaking. She died in March 2005, the day after her 89th birthday.

Thank you for taking the time to read mum's story and I hope you'll dig deep and sponsor me using the link below to help find a way of beating this destructive disease.