"Over the past century, mankind has achieved incredible feats of science, engineering and medicine.  We have mapped the human genome, designed drugs to successfully control HIV, and doubled cancer survival rates.  But even in the face of such progress, one of our greatest medical challenges still remains to be solved."

Dementia is the term for the group of diseases that stop the brain from working properly.  Anyone who has experience of Dementia will tell you that it is cruel and difficult to witness a loved one suffering from it.  And a saddening fact is, that without intervention, 1 in 3 children born today will die from diseases that cause Dementia.

Alzheimers is one of these diseases.  

My immediate and wider family has been greatly affected by the effects of Alzheimers, which has led me to take on this mighty challenge to raise money in support of ground-breaking research, hoping that a prevention and/or cure is discovered for Dementia in my life-time, to bring an end to the physical and emotional suffering it creates.

Alzhiemers Research UK has a vision, to bring about the first life-changing Dementia treatment by 2025, and in rowing 1,000,000 metres I am going to support this effort by raising £10,000.

Any amount given makes a difference:

• £10 will buy slides for scientists to study 100 samples under the microscope.
• £50 will help run the Dementia Research Infoline for two hours.
• £125 will provide the tools for scientists to map 5,000 genes in minute detail.
• £200 will pay for 500 test tubes, the lifeblood of effective dementia research.
• £500 will cover the cost of a sensitive brain scan for a patient involved in a research study.
• £2,500 will allow researchers to buy synthetically made amyloid, to better understand this hallmark Alzheimer’s protein in the lab.
• £10,000 will pay for an advanced microscope to allow scientists to identify and track crucial proteins in brain samples.

So I am thankful to you for taking the time to give hope to the new and future generations, that we could beat Dementia.

Olly :)