In may 2023 my dad was diagnosed with Frontal Temporal Dementia at the age of 52.

FTD is a rare form of dementia affecting around one in 20 people with a dementia diagnosis. It affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, which are responsible for personality, behaviour, language and speech, usually diagnosed in those aged between 45 -64, sometimes younger.

In our case my dad went undiagnosed for years with it being portrayed as depression. This is because of the misconception that dementia only occurs in older people and usually involves memory loss.

When my dad was diagnosed I knew nothing about the illness and I didn’t realise how quickly he would deteriorate or how much life would change in a heartbeat. Thankfully, Dementia UK were there to provide me the support and knowledge around FTD. Which is why I signed up to run the London Royal Parks half marathon to raise money for this incredible charity so they can keep helping families just like mine.

Please share to help me to continue raising awareness xx