Why 100km and why for Alzheimer?

This one will be a Training and update blog for the next 8 months as I prepare to walk 100Km in (hopefully) just under 24 hours August 10 2012.

If you don’t know me you might think I am a sporty person, long distance hikes, 1 hour jogs should be part of my weekly routine. They are not. The closest I get to a work-out is my Wii.

Two years ago I took part in A Sister’s Hope walk. 60km in 2 days against breast cancer. I remember the moment I walked into the finish, the happiness, the pride and the feeling of fulfilment I had.
So one night in December I thought I want something like this, but just more of a challenge. Something which really might break me (I know!).  And so I came across the “Dodentocht” (the death walk). This is going to be my challenge in 2012!

After a couple of days I figured I do not only want to do this for myself, but I want to walk for a charity again.
Pretty quickly it came to me that it had to be for Alzheimer. I chose Alzheimer Nederland. A Dutch organisation which provides support and information to people with dementia and their immediate surroundings for over 25 years.

In 2010 my friend’s mother passed away after suffering 13 years from Alzheimer. I met my friend Miranda when her mum already was in a very developed stage, so I didn’t know her mum from before. But over the course of 5 years I saw how much effect this had on my friend and started to realise more and more, from a side line, what this illness does to people.

How , a once a self-confident, happy, lucky woman turns into a small child again. The confusion in her eyes, the distance-from-the-world look on her face. How helpless you feel, as a child seeing your mother go through this. Or as a Husband or wife.

I lost my own mother over 10 years ago, she didn’t wake up from a coma. There was a part of me which would always understand Miran’s pain, but my mother was gone, I couldn’t talk to her anymore or touch her. But there was her mother, alive and breathing, able to be touched, yet so far away . This is something I will never know how it feels and I am actually glad I do not have to experience this.

The thought that your mother, father, husband or wife is alive but doesn’t recognise you, can’t articulate anymore is devastating. There are many Miranda’s out there. Wife’s, husbands, daughters and son’s. And I really think it is time to contribute a little to detect the early signs of this disease.

So, as from tomorrow I am in full training modus for the next 8 months. I am nervous as hell. Will I make the finish and what will it be like to walk a night… But also well excited… Let’s just say I’ve got mixed emotions and I haven’t even started yet. Still it’s an awesome feeling.

I truly hope I can count on your support in the next months during my training and when I am walking the walk. Most of all I hope that with your help I can create more awareness for this disease and raise money to contribute to the fund of Alzheimer research.

I hope that “reading“ about my training and walking “The Walk” will entice you to sponsor me.

Let’s make this happen! So, if you would be so kind to hit the “steun mij” button!

The amount I want to collect is set on € 5000. My mind was set on € 15000. I was told I should be realistic and set it to € 5000 which is still a lot and hard to achieve. This just as a side note for the reader.

Seriously , is € 15000 unrealistic? and here is where you can donate!