My grandma Oti is my favourite person in the world. Sadly, for the last seven years of her life, she suffered from dementia. She passed away over two years ago, and it is hard to forget how unfair it was for her to spend the last years of her life with this condition.

There are amazing people out there doing incredible research to overcome Alzheimer's. Most of the current funding is focused on finding a ‘cure’ or treatment for this condition. But, not as much is being done to support those currently facing the consequences of it. It can be an incredibly isolating and lonely experience, disorienting and extremely upsetting. Often, those who suffer from it have moments of realisation that they cannot remember things most of the time. It is a truly cruel experience. My grandma had amazing family support from her children. But, this is far from the case for many in the UK, primarily due to family dispersal. My work as an undergraduate and postgraduate student has focused on looking for realistic caring alternatives in our current built environment, healthcare systems and society's beliefs.

Now that my thesis work is over, I will be running the Cambridge half-marathon (5/3/23), the Brighton marathon (2/4/23)  and the Thames Path ultramarathon, 100km, (9/9/23) to raise money for a charity that is working to help those suffering of Alzheimer's until further healthcare developments take place.

Any donations would be hugely appreciated,

Maria