Extreme Knitting Redhead: A quick newsflash

Monday, April 22, 2013

A quick newsflash

There is so much to write about the events of last few days that it will take me ages to update so I thought I'd just do a quick teaser from the London marathon yesterday.

I ran and knitted my way round in 5:54:23 and the finished scarf was measured by a Guinness world Record official at 2.05 metres. It's so heavy though that by the time I'd got home (having worn it all the way of course) it measured 2.35 metres! It's not like knitting at home where you give it a nice blocking and then measure it - it was just laid flat on the tarmac and measured quickly.

A full and detailed account of everything will follow asap - there's the first ever Alzheimer's Show, the Guinness World Records photo shoot and press conference and then the marathon itself and there are loads of photos too.

I've now started my 111 day running streak so Day 1 was the London marathon where I ran 26.57 miles and Day 2 today I ran 5.55 miles. I shall be keeping a running total (pun intended!).

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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.