Running for granny
Leanne tells how she’s been inspired to run 1,000 miles in one year in honour of her granny Dinah
Leanne’s story
Growing up, I spent time with my granny Dinah every single day. A local legend in our community, she is known for always wearing a beautiful smile, no matter what. Granny shaped who I am and taught me everything from riding a bike to peeling tatties.
She was always on the go, living with my papa George on their croft, homecooking the family dinners, looking after me and my brother, and working different jobs right up until she was 79.
Most recently she had been volunteering at a local day centre but when the pandemic hit, everything closed and there was nothing for granny to do any more. We saw a big decline in both her physical and brain health after that.
We tried to keep her interested with puzzles and crosswords but nothing worked. It took a long time but granny was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
She’s 84 now and we’re doing everything we can to help her and papa live independently for as long as possible. My mum Lorraine visits them every day and whenever I’m back home I try to take granny out. She loves being outside or going for a run in the car.
Over the past few years Alzheimer’s disease has slowly taken more and more from granny. There are days when I feel I’m losing her bit by bit, yet she’s still here – her spirit shining through, especially when I can make her smile.
I’ve wanted to take on a challenge in granny’s honour for a while, and decided I would commit to running 1,000 miles in 12 months to raise £5,000 for Alzheimer Scotland. I’ve never done anything like this before and I’m not the sportiest person, but for granny I thought – go big or go home.
It will be tough – running the equivalent of 38 marathons – but I’m looking forward to it and it’ll be a good way to improve my own fitness at the same time.
This challenge is my way to channel the pain into hope and to support others going through similar struggles. I also hope to raise awareness of dementia as it’s still something that isn’t always spoken about or well understood.
Alzheimer Scotland do amazing work and I hope that every mile I run, and every pound that’s raised, can help bring hope and comfort to all the families like mine who are affected by dementia.
