Extreme Knitting Redhead: On a clear day

Sunday, January 25, 2009

On a clear day

On the one clear day we have had recently, two lovely people came to meet us. I'd like to introduce Paul and Sarah who we will be seeing a lot more of over the next few months. Just after Christmas Paul contacted the Alzheimer's Research Trust to find out my contact details. He was planning to do some fund-raising for them and whilst searching their website he'd come across details of my extreme knitting antics. This gave him an idea which he shared with me. In the words of Mr Baldrick, he had a cunning plan!

As you can imagine, it is a wacky idea and we weren't even sure if we could do it and so, after many emails flying back and forth, Paul and Sarah came to meet us so we could explore the idea further.

I can't reveal exactly what we're planning just yet so you'll just have to be patient. Suffice to say, it's somewhat unusual, challenging, will require a great deal of training and organisation and should hopefully catch the ever-open eye of the media to gain maximum publicity for the charity and raise much needed funds.

Watch this space!

Sadly the next day wasn't as nice and the rain and wind came back. I couldn't face another run on the treadmill, especially as I had 10 miles to run so I just had to get wet! When Mike took this photo upon my return he wondered why I was standing in the puddle. I replied that it was as good a place as any as I was soaked through any way. The photo really doesn't show the rain dripping off me, but it was!

Last but not least we have some more publicity from the scarf in Running Fitness magazine using my favourite photo taken by Michelle from the Alzheimer's Research Trust.

3 comments:

Carol said...: Sounds interesting! I've given up running until Spring. The weather is way below freezing here and will be for at least another week!; January 26, 2009 at 9:09:00 AM PST
Marina said...: Run in the rain or run on the treadmill? Neither sounds appealling. Isn't there an indoor track somewhere?; January 27, 2009 at 4:02:00 AM PST
Susie Hewer said...: Carol, brrrrrrr to your weather. No wonder you need mittens!

Marina, LOL. We marathon runners are made of stern stuff you know!; January 27, 2009 at 8:11:00 AM PST

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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.