The “broken-hearted” friends of a Teessider who was diagnosed with dementia at just 34 have completed an eight-mile walk for charity.
Holly Braithwaite was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and is believed to be one of the youngest people in the UK with the disease. The young mother, who was diagnosed just last year, began showing symptoms in 2019 and initially thought her condition was postnatal depression after giving birth to her daughter Alba or a thyroid problem that he had been diagnosed.
Two friends from Holly’s school, Sophie Poulton, 33, and Kayleigh Spooner, 34, organized the eight-mile walk to celebrate their dear friend, and more than 80 people joined the walk. Glaisdale and Goathland. The group raised £ 7,000 for Rare Dementia Support, a service funded by The National Brain Appeal, which became a lifeline for Holly, her husband Alex and her mother Chris.
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Pal Sophie said: “The walk was a great success, many people came with us to have a fun-filled day! We sang, danced, laughed and cried! We talked about Holly and all the greats. moments we spent together.
“We couldn’t be happier with how well the day went. We’re still waiting for a final total of the money raised for the day, as local schools, etc., still want to make a donation, but the donation page now exceeds 7,000 Free Gift Aid, so it’s amazing! “
Holly with her husband Alex before she got sick (Image: The National Brain Appeal)
Sophie, who now also helps Alex and Chris care for Holly, added: “It took Holly a while to get a proper diagnosis. After several different tests and scans it was confirmed that it was frontotemporal dementia. much surprised when they heard it was a form of dementia.
“Holly is so sharp that even now she will know the dates, the birthdays, what we did at night when we were younger. That’s the amazing thing about FTD and some of those weirder forms of dementia. It’s not about of memory loss and can happen to younger people.
Frontotemporal dementia can affect behavior, personality, and language, with relatively few memory problems in the early stages. It is part of a group of disorders that occur when nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain are lost. This causes the lobes to shrink.
Like other rare forms of dementia, it can affect young people, affecting people in their thirties, forties and fifties. Affected people often do not understand that their behavior is not normal. This creates great challenges for people living with the disease, and for their families, caregivers and employers. There is currently no cure for any form of dementia.
Friends and family of Holly Braithwaite participating in Holly’s Walk (Image: The National Brain Appeal)
Rare Dementia Support offers advice and a safe space to meet other people with similar problems, guide and inform them and the people who care about them. The money raised from the walk will be used for guidance and education both in person and through its virtual center as well as being a space for research, artistic and cultural activities.
Sophie continued: “The rare dementia support team has been a welcome addition to Holly’s caregivers, offering her experience and support to the family, so we knew we wanted to get something back. When Kayleigh and I went to Alex with our idea of a fundraising walk, he suggested we do it for The National Brain Appeal, which funded the service.
“We’ve contacted many people who know and love Holly to join us in celebrating her and helping raise money for charity. We’ve also had the support of people who don’t know Holly, but only want We really wanted to make the day a good day, full of fun and laughter, just as Holly would have liked!
“Holly’s condition is moving faster than any of us expected. As family and friends, we are doing everything we can to support her and create a safe, loving and caring environment for her during this time of fear and confused.
“We are devastated and heartbroken to see what happens to our dear friend. We know there is no cure and we just want to be there for her and do all we can for her, Alex, Alba, Chris and the whole family. ”
If you would like to make a donation, please visit Holly’s JustGiving page.
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