My darling Mum, Julie, lost her battle with early-onset Alzheimer’s in January 2024, after battling the disease for over 10 years.

She was just 62 years old.

My Mum had often fondly talked about her and Steve’s (my Stepfather) retirement and their plan to travel the world, holidays, and countryside walks. But their dreams were shattered by Mum’s diagnosis, which saw her deteriorate and lose her ability to communicate early on in her diagnosis. Steve gave up his life to be a full-time carer for Mum – something I am forever grateful for.

Mum was my absolute best friend. I told her everything. She was my life coach, my drinking buddy and my go-to for everything. Throughout the disease, she became a shadow of her former self, and I found myself grieving the loss of Mum throughout her whole illness.

Alzheimer's Disease has truly broke our family in ways we never expected. It felt like we were grieving a thousand little losses over the years, long before we had to say our final goodbye in January. Mum was the heart and soul of our family, and losing her to this cruel disease felt like losing the centre of our world.

Even though Mum has gone now, every part of Mum is still a huge part of our lives. The love of champagne, the happy memories, her favourite songs, our family sayings... but there's a hole in our family where Mum used to be, and I think we’re still learning how to live with that absence.

Running the London Marathon has always been on my bucket list and it's going to be a huge challenge. I hope to raise many funds as possible. I'll be running for Mum and the ~1 million other people who are currently living with this awful disease.

For you, Mum x