Helen Eleftheriou
Helen's London Marathon Donation Page
Fundraising for Vasculitis UK
Story
Why I Ran the London Marathon on 2nd October 2022
On 13th October last year my Dad, Paraskevas died unexpectedly of CNS Vasculitis. 💔
As it’s a rare disease it went undiagnosed until it was too late.
About My Dad
Lots of people say their Dads are special, but my Dad really was.
He had a sharp wit and sense of humour which put everyone who met him at ease. (Unless you were on the receiving end of his roasting😂)
My Dad was kind and extremely generous with his life centring around our family, church and local community with him often carrying out charitable deeds.
No matter how old anyone was or their background, he treated everyone as equals and with respect.
He loved working, being around people and despite being past retirement age went to work every day.
However 6 months before he died this changed.
It was subtle to begin with, he skipped going to work in the mornings as he was too tired. We started to notice my Dad withdraw from conversations and had little interest in anything. He loved his grandchildren but didn't light up as he usually did when he saw them.
At first we thought he was grieving as his brother (my Uncle) sadly died from Covid earlier in the year.
But other symptoms started to manifest.
He had really bad headaches and dizziness which the GP diagnosed as vertigo.
He had momentary lapses of confusion but his memory was still sharp.
My Dad rapidly lost weight, so was referred to the hospital and after scans on most parts of his body, all came back clear.
We thought it could be his medication but when we had a review with the GP this was not the cause.
My Dad started to struggle with co-ordination and my Mum and I sometimes had to help him do up his buttons and tie his shoe laces.
The last couple of months before my Dad died he had two kidney infections which added to the weight loss and confusion and by this point I really hoped the antibiotics would work and my Dad would get back to normal.
In the week leading up to it, his left arm kept shaking and he dropped things. I wondered if it was Parkinson's.
During the final week we'd seen the GP three times and had another appointment the following Tuesday.
10th October was the best and worst day of my life. Best because I got the spend the day with my Dad just talking and being with him The worst because in the evening after he went to sleep, he had a fatal seizure.
At the hospital the DR told us my Dad had CNS Vasculitis and in the 11 years working there she'd not seen another patient with this disease as it's rare. My Dad's scan was referred to the QMC in Nottingham for advice.
We were soon told there was nothing more they could do so we just had to wait until my Dad's body died.
He died on 13th October 2021
How You Can Help
As we still try to come to terms with the impact this disease has had on our family and my Dad, we want to bring awareness to others so they don’t go through what my Dad endured.
Please can you make a small donation to help Vasculitis support other families and carry out important research.
Thank you 🙏