Walking 100km for dad
Madi tells how she was inspired to walk 100km in one month to raise funds in honour of dad Ronnie
Madi’s story
My dad Ronnie was always a strong, fit man who loved walking and spending time with his family.
He’s always been very sociable and a much-loved member of the community. I remember he’d take me out on Saturdays when I was younger and everyone would stop to chat with him.
It was a shock when he was diagnosed with dementia aged just 64 – although we’d noticed signs for a while that something wasn’t quite right.
Dad had been having issues with his speech and there were also changes in his behaviour. It took a long time but eventually he was diagnosed in 2022 with Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) – a rare type of dementia linked to frontotemporal dementia – and also Alzheimer’s disease.
None of us had heard of PPA so it was a real learning curve trying to find out what the diagnosis meant and what support there was out there for us.
Dad was still working at the time, and so was my mum Hazel, and they struggled at first to find the right support. A lot of groups were for much older people and were held during the day when my parents were working.
They heard about the Alzheimer Scotland dementia resource centre in Kilmarnock and their monthly, evening Supper Club which is aimed at under-65s. It’s been a lifeline for them. It made such a difference for them to be with people their own age who understand exactly what they’re going through. That peer support was invaluable and they made great friends there. The staff are also fantastic.
Dad is 68 now and his condition has progressed to the point where he now receives 24/7 care in a nursing home.
It’s difficult to see the changes in him but we all visit as much as we can, and his face lights up when he sees us – especially his grandchildren.
As I approached the last month of my maternity leave, I decided to take on a big challenge – and we really wanted to give back to Alzheimer Scotland.
That’s when I came up with the idea of walking 100km in one month – and I thought carrying my seven-month-old son Leo with me would make it more challenging. We were out walking every day and he loved it.
I’ve been blown away by the support we’ve had and it spurred me on to keep going and to raise as much money and awareness as possible for such a great cause.
