I've been lucky enough to get a ballot place to run the London Marathon in April next year! Since getting over the initial excitement (and I'm still a little giddy a couple of months later) I've been starting to sort out the logistics of travel, accommodation, and of course a training plan for the run.

I knew that I wanted to use my place to help raise some money for an amazing charity close to my heart and that's why I'm fundraising for Alzheimer's Society.

Growing up I only had one surviving relative outside of my parents and my brother, and that was my Gran. She fulfilled the roles of aunt, uncle, grandparent, babysitter, storyteller, game inventor, pen pal, counsellor, baker, taxi driver, bank manager, and dog sitter as I grew up.

Then, a few years ago Gran started to forget things...words, names, what she'd been doing in the kitchen after walking into the living room, she'd take the washing out of the machine but forget to hang it out to dry, she'd forget that she'd left a pan of water boiling on the stove, sometimes she'd forget that she hadn't eaten lunch that day. Maybe it was just old age, she was in her late 70s, living independently in her own bungalow, and everyone forgets things.

Gran started to get worse, she would forget to lock the front door, she would forget to drink and become severely dehydrated, she would forget to bathe for a week, she would go out to the local shops and forget how to get home. We would have the same conversations on repeat, each time we moved to a different room we'd start the conversation over again.

We'd be throwing the ball for my dog in the garden and then we'd go into the kitchen to make a drink and Gran looking out the window would comment "there's a dog in the garden". "Yes", I'd say, "that's Bess". "That's a nice name" Gran would say, "I wonder who she belongs to". 'That's my dog' I'd confirm. We'd take our cups of tea into the living room and Gran would walk to the window taking in a different view of the garden and note "there's a dog in the garden"...and the conversation would be repeated pretty much word for word until Bess (who would somehow turn from a boisterous young collie into a calm and gentle companion around Gran) would run in and we'd have a slightly different variation on the topic now that the dog was in the house.

That was what we termed at the time a 'good' day, there was confusion certainly but it didn't seem to be causing any undue stress or anxiety. The 'harder' days, the days that were becoming all the more frequent were those where Gran didn't know who people were that she saw regularly, where she might forget who the carer was that was in her house helping her in the mornings and become distressed and fearful that a stranger was in her home.

Eventually Gran was diagnosed with dementia. By this point she no longer knew who my brother was and would keep getting me confused with a younger version of Mum. It was also becoming clear that even with regular support from carers visiting her throughout the day it was no longer safe for Gran to remain in her own home. She was moved into a care home that focussed on specialist dementia support.

I'm not sure exactly when it happened but slowly there grew the realisation that Gran never knew who I was anymore, I was always mistaken for someone else...Mum, a long lost cousin, an old school friend, a carer, or worst of all a stranger. I simply didn't exist as me in her world anymore. Ultimately, she no longer knew who Mum (her daughter) was either. We'd all been wiped from her life and while she continued to live in the care home for another couple of years until her body finally gave out it was like she had already died for us as the person I will always think of and remember as my Gran ❤

If you have made it this far, thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. If you are able to support my fundraising for Alzheimer's Society with a donation it would be very much appreciated. I know that times are tough for many and completely understand if you do not want to or are not able to donate. I would also be very grateful if you would consider sharing this page with your network. Thank you 😊

Every three minutes, somebody in the UK is told they have dementia. Alzheimer’s Society are working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives. They're doing everything they can to provide help and hope to those affected by dementia.