An Armagh woman is walking 30 miles in September to raise money and awareness for those living with Dementia.
Róisín McVeigh decided to undertake the challenge, in support of Dementia UK, because of the great affect the illness has had on her.
Her mother had Alzheimer’s Disease, her mother-in-law had Pick’s Disease, and her father-in-law is currently in a nursing home with a form of dementia.
Her challenge is to walk 30 miles in total over the month of September and while she admits it “isn’t a lot”, she says it will be a big commitment to undertake.
Róisín has already raised over £800 of her £1,000 target, and hopes to press on to the finish line.
Last year, she did a sponsored walk in aid of Parkinson’s UK.
Read more: Armagh mum forced to give up teaching after Early Onset of Parkinson’s diagnosis
She did this because eight years ago, she was diagnosed with Early Onset Parkinson’s, at the age of just 48.
Her shock diagnosis, which she described as “an absolute kick to the stomach”, forced her into early retirement.
Róisín worked as a secondary school teacher but was hastened to give up that role as a result, after her brother – who was also diagnosed with Early Onset of Parkinson’s – noticed a few similarities in his younger sister.
She took on the challenge of walking 66 miles in the month of July as part of a UK-wide Parkinson’s initiative to raise money and awareness for the disease.
Speaking to Armagh I, Róisín said: “It’s about support for the family more so than the sufferers. It [Dementia UK] provides a service on the phone or you can make an appointment.
“Caring can be very difficult because it’s a very unpredictable thing. It’s a very difficult road for anybody to do on their own so I thought the charity was a great cause.”
She continued: “I suppose particularly for people who have no experience of Dementia, they’d be aware that it is such a horrible disease. It’s the number two killer in the UK after heart attack so it does affect a lot of people.
“To be able to support a charity that supports the carers, I think, is fantastic.”
You can donate to Róisín’s appeal by visiting the fundraising link here.
