Walking 90,000 steps for dad

Marie’s story

My dad Peter was a true family man and an incredibly kind-hearted person who would do anything to help others. He was always smartly dressed, with a smile on his face and a story to tell.

As a taxi driver, everyone in the community knew dad. He would often stop in his cab if he saw someone struggling with heavy bags in the rain and drive them home without taking a fare.

Dad was in his mid-60s when we first noticed he was having trouble with his memory and becoming increasingly confused. It took a while, but he was eventually diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. My mum Sophie was his main carer and we helped her look after dad for as long as we could until he had to move into a home.

Dad had always been so independent and it was incredibly hard to see the changes in him. He passed away in 2013 aged 79.

I’m 66 now and a couple of years ago I started to notice some issues with my memory. After what had happened to dad, I wanted to be proactive and get help as soon as I could. I took part in a clinical drug trial and I am now going through the process of being assessed by the NHS.

It’s daunting, but if I do have similar issues to dad then I want to know sooner rather than later, so that I can take advantage of any treatments or support out there that might help me.

I read about Alzheimer Scotland’s 90K Steps Challenge – to walk 90,000 steps in one week – and I thought that would be a perfect way to keep up my fitness while also raising money and awareness for a cause so close to the family.

I love to do regular walks anyway, but this challenge gave me a real purpose. I was out come rain, hail or shine and I loved every minute of it. By the end of the week I’d done over 100,000 steps.

I’m so grateful to my husband Frank and to everyone who has supported me and donated. I hope that by doing the challenge I can help raise awareness of dementia and support the vital work of Alzheimer Scotland.

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