My inspiration for doing this trek is probably no different to everyone else in that it is linked to a loved one who eventually died of this dreadful disease.  My grandmother on my dad's side was a beautiful woman and an amazing homemaker, her cosy house was on my route home from school and I stopped there every evening for a chat, a piece of cake and her words of wisdom.  

She was incredibly dignified, a real lady, which is what was so upsetting in the end as she ended up in a home, unable to feed herself, with her mind regressing back to when she was a young woman working in London in the late 1920’s.  

Whether its Alzheimer’s or dementia, these diseases strip dignity from people and break the hearts of loved ones who want to help but just don’t know how. The statistics are increasingly alarming as well, with so many of us living longer, dementia is now the most common cause of death in England and Wales* .  

While we trek for the Alzheimer’s Society, my motivation will not only be to remember my gorgeous grandmother but also to raise awareness and much needed funding so these societies can do more research and hopefully spare people and their loved ones the misery of watching someone they love disappear on front of their eyes.

*http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-43159823