Help me raise money in honour of my Mum, and the 421,000 Australians living with dementia.
On Sunday, 18 May, I'm taking part in Melbourne Memory Walk & Jog to raise funds to support Australians impacted by dementia. This is a cause close to my heart and I would love your support.
Please make a donation to support my efforts and help us reach our goal to beat dementia.
Not many people know, but dementia is Australia's second-leading cause of death. By 2058 it's expected that over 800,000 Australians will have dementia. But we can change this.
All money I raise will support the work of Dementia Australia and help provide vital support services like counselling, support groups, education, and research to help find a cure.
Together we can achieve a lot. Your donation would mean the world to me.
Thanks for your support!
My achievements
Help me light up my badges
Received first
sponsor donation
Shared Page on Social
Uploaded profile pic
Referred a friend
Raised $150
Bronze Dementia
Warrior
Raised $500
Silver Dementia
Warrior
Raised $1,000
Gold Dementia
Warrior
Raised $2,500
Platinum Dementia
Warrior
Uploaded profile pic
I'm $205.05 away from becoming a Silver Level Fundraiser. Will you help get me there?
My Updates
Introducing Annie ~ my mum who lives with early onset FTD
Tell us about Annie’s life. What makes her unique?
Annie is one of 5 children raised on a dairy farm in Katamatite Victoria. A country girl, with a deep appreciation of nature & a love for animals. She marched to the beat of her own drum.
Charming with a legendary ability for quips & puns. Her own hilarious lexicon of phrases such as:
‘tea towel atrocity’
noun. a highly distasteful use of a tea towel such as wiping ones hands on it, rather than the designated hand towel.
Whilst quick with a pun, her intelligence & gift of the written word was clear to see. Annie was Dux in Form 4 at Presentation Convent in Rutherglen, however she left school at this time to help raise her siblings back on the farm.
Annie’s tenacity ensured that although delayed, she completed high school, then went on to tertiary study as a mature-age student. Annie won a prestigious King & Amy O’Malley Scholarship to attend University, which is a true credit to her abilities.
Annie is a deeply empathic person, who would often find out the life story of strangers - offering kind and encouraging advice… none of which she would heed herself.
What is your relationship to Annie?
She is my mother by birth – but my friend by nature.
What has been the most challenging aspect of Annie’s diagnosis?
It’s hard to believe Annies journey is not fictional! Navigating the seemingly endless rabbit warren of bureaucracy when it comes to Aged Care & related government agencies. Countless hours of phone calls, emails, completing forms, extracting information from one source to resubmit it through another archaic process – only to be told that “no, sorry we don’t actually handle that in this department. You will need to call…” is quite literally soul destroying. I have never felt more alone and frustrated by a government system & English is my first language! The lack of communication between agencies is well known but it simply isn’t good enough.
Where do you find the light?
Those moments where Annie’s speech threads a whole sentence together & her innate ability to foster connection with others - even when her words fail her. 💗
"Proud of you all, smash it."