Mum is still with us and yet not with us at all...

The nature of dementia and the essence of life that it robs has been unbelievably cruel and painful for Mum and for all of us who love her. To have lost my Mum but not be able to have closure to properly grieve is at times unbearable. I have said goodbye to her and I want her to be released from her suffering and to be at peace.

In 2018, I got married in Mum's wedding dress from 1963. It was so special and yet so painful that her wedding dress was the only part of her that could be with me on that important day.

It is horrible knowing that she is effectively lying in bed, bound, gagged and shackled by this disease and trapped in a mind and body that no longer perform the most basic human functions. It is painful and frustrating that there is nothing I can do to release her from her imprisonment, nor to give her a voice so that she can decide for herself what she wants, but by dedicating this marathon to her, I can do something to help Dementia UK support and help those who are also robbed by this cruel disease.