Maria's Dementia fundraiser in 'Mandy's Memory'
‘Any donations I receive, big or small, will make an incredible difference’ - Maria Doherty
Derry people are proving, once again, they care deeply about family and community and nothing is too much when it comes to giving back.
Take Maria Doherty from the city. Maria is currently undertaking a 30 day running challenge in aid of the charity Dementia UK, in honour of her late grandmother, Mandy Doherty.
Maria’s page ‘Mandy’s Memory’ can be found at: https://fundraise.dementiauk.org/fundraisers/mariadoherty.
Speaking to The Derry News, Maria said she was taking on the 30 day running challenge for Dementia UK to “help ensure no family faces dementia alone”.
“Dementia UK is the specialist dementia nursing charity,” added Maria.
“Any donations I receive, big or small, will make an incredible difference. For example, “£33 could fund a new dementia specialist Admiral Nurse, to spend an hour helping a family in the community, offering practical solutions and emotional support to cope with their loved one’s distressed behaviour.”
Warmly recalling her grandmother, Mandy, who sadly died in February, Maria explained she was inspired to undertake the Dementia UK fundraiser having completed a 5k for the Foyle Hospice in June.
“I was just wondering to myself if there were any charities closer to home for me, maybe for people living with dementia,” she added.
“That is when I came across the Dementia UK ‘Run Miles in July’ challenge on social media. I clicked into the post and discovered the maximum number of miles I could run was 90.
“That is when I decided to start a fundraiser in Mandy’s memory, to raise money for the families, as well as the person who is living with dementia, because, as a family, we know how hard it actually is.
“I have until July 31 to hit the 90 mile target. I am struggling a wee bit in this heat but I am very determined to complete the challenge, especially when people are donating money. I’ve about 75 miles left to do,” she smiled.
“Mandy absolutely doted on myself and my sister, Alannagh. We were the best thing since sliced bread in her eyes,” reminisced Maria warmly.
“We used to have sleepovers in granny and granda’s house every single Saturday night. We would have spent a lot of time there growing up.
“They are the ones we always have the memories of going to Buncrana beach for days out,” said Maria.
“Mandy was diagnosed with vascular dementia about years ago. She had some complications within the disease which lead to us having a lot less time with her than we had hoped,” said Maria.
“She was always the one you could turn to no matter what was going on in your life. It was so heartbreaking watching her deteriorate and forget that I was her granddaughter,” she added.
“The only good thing is that she always remembered my Granda Dominic, and thank God she did because she was his everything.
“Even though she didn’t know who I was, I would still sit and chat to her. Sometimes it was funny listening to the things that she was saying and other times it was heartbreaking watching her be so affected by this disease.
“From this, I have learned how important it is to have a support system in place, not just family members but also qualified professionals.
“Even though I am a single working mum to two young girls and have such a busy life as it is, I will be running 90 miles throughout July to raise money for families affected by dementia in the hopes that their loved ones can get the support that they need. Any donation big or small is welcome.”