Lucas’ story: A marathon for mum

Lucas' Story:

The day I found out my mum Lyn has dementia was probably the worst day ever. She was only 50 and it didn’t seem possible.

We had been noticing some signs before then – with mum forgetting things or struggling to do tasks that would usually have been easy for her. I think her and my dad Andy initially thought it might’ve been related to the menopause, but then it became clear that it was more than that.

After a lot of different tests and scans, the diagnosis was confirmed just over a year ago that she has young onset Alzheimer’s disease.

I was only 17 and knew almost nothing about dementia. I’d heard it’s something that’s supposed to prevent you from doing anything. Yet my mum has done so much and is continuing to show unwavering resilience and strength. She’s no longer able to work but she gets out walking and sees her friends as much as she can, plus her and dad go on road trips and holidays together more often.

She’s always been very sociable and loves to laugh, and that’s something she’s trying to do more than ever. She’s always happy and smiling, and even if she makes a mistake then she’ll make a joke about it.

Lots of family and friends have been inspired by mum to raise money for charity so I thought it was time for me to step up and to show a fraction of the resilience and strength mum has. Alzheimer Scotland was the obvious choice for my charity because they do so much great work.

I play hockey and do some running, so I do have a reasonable level of fitness. I wanted to take on something that I would find challenging, and that’s when I signed up for the Edinburgh Marathon. I knew I’d have to train and work hard to get through it.

I had been training in amongst my uni studies for a few months and was excited once it was finally time to put it into practice. The day itself was amazing and the atmosphere was incredible with so many people there running or cheering you on. It did get tough towards the end but I pushed through and was really pleased to make it to the finish line. My dad had organised a big get-together back at the house after the event so everyone came over to celebrate.

I’m really grateful to all the people who supported me and donated. I initially hoped to raise £1,000 but I had to increase the target twice and was really pleased to make more than £3,000.

I’ve really enjoyed the whole experience and have already signed up for next year’s marathon. I hope the money raised can help Alzheimer Scotland support all the other families like ours who are affected by dementia.