Shan’s World

I appreciate you so much! There’s even a few of you that I don’t actually know personally, which is astounding 🥹

LOVE YOU 🦁❤️💛💚

Thank you for being here. Buckle up for a big read 🫶🏾

This is a very special cause that is incredibly close to my heart, and one that I’m taking part in for my beautiful mum.

A few years ago, my mum was diagnosed with a rare form of dementia known as Korsakoff syndrome (Korsakoff dementia). It is a condition that can severely affect brain function, particularly memory and the ability to learn and retain new information. It can also affect a person’s orientation, judgement, problem-solving and ability to manage everyday life independently.

Korsakoff syndrome is a serious condition that can have a profound and lasting impact on a person’s life. It can lead to worsening memory and confusion, difficulty understanding or processing information, problems with judgement and decision-making, changes in behaviour and personality, disorientation, anxiety and agitation. In some cases, it can also cause hallucinations or experiences that aren’t based in reality, as well as periods of distress or aggressive behaviour. Sadly, we have experienced some of these changes with Mum ourselves, and it can be incredibly difficult and frightening for both the person experiencing it and the family around them. Watching someone you love experience things that are so far removed from the person they once were is heartbreaking. ❤️

For anyone who knows my mum, you’ll know just how heartbreaking this has been to witness.

Dementia doesn’t only affect the person living with it. It affects the people who love them too. My mum’s life is simply not the same anymore. She isn’t functioning in the way she used to, she isn’t able to do the things she once could, and so much of the independence and life she once had has changed.

This has changed the trajectory of not only her life, but the lives of me and my brother too.

Watching my mum change and seeing the woman I’ve always known become harder for her has been immensely painful. It has torn at myself, my sibling and the small circle of close family members around her. There have been many moments of sadness, frustration, helplessness and grief - because we are grieving someone who is still here.

But something I really want people to understand is that my mum is still my mum. ❤️

She is still bubbly. She still has her personality. She still has that fight in her. She is still a warrior and a lioness 🦁❤️

But that doesn’t make this experience any less heavy.

It is incredibly heavy for her to live through, and it is incredibly heavy for us as her family to witness. There is a constant awareness that life has changed, that things cannot simply go back to how they were, and that we are having to navigate a reality that none of us ever expected.

That is exactly why I’ve named my team The Lionesses. After my mum’s undeniable strength shown from the day she was born.

Sadly, Mum is now living in a care home. That was one of the hardest decisions our family has ever had to make, but ultimately we knew it was the best and safest thing for her. It doesn't make it any easier though.

Before dementia changed so much of her life, my mum was - and still is - a very known woman in our community. She was a much loved sound woman and DJ, known for her passion for roots, reggae and Rastafari ❤️💛💚

Music has always been such a huge part of who she is, and of the person so many people remember and love.

So this September, I’m taking on the Walk a Mile, Walk 30 Miles in September for Dementia challenge in honour of my mum ❤️

Every mile I walk will be for her.

For the woman she was.  

For the woman she still is.  

For the life she has lived.  

For the life that has changed.  

For the memories.  

For our family.  

And for every person and family whose lives have been changed by dementia.

This challenge is so incredibly close to my heart, and I would be so grateful for your support - whether that’s donating, sharing my fundraising page, joining me for a walk, or simply cheering me on along the way.

Every bit of support means more than you know 🦁❤️

Thank you for supporting me, supporting my mum, and helping raise awareness for dementia.

30 miles. One month. One very special woman.

Love Shan x