WARRINGTON gym owner Amanda Wah, who recently won BBC’s hit show Gladiators, is throwing her weight behind a national dementia appeal in honour of her late mum.
Amanda is proudly wearing a Forget Me Not badge this month, as part of Alzheimer’s Society’s Forget Me Not Appeal, encouraging people to donate and receive a badge which helps fund the charity’s crucial support services and groundbreaking dementia research. Amanda’s mum, Allyson, is the reason behind her badge and who she dedicates her Gladiator triumph to. She was diagnosed with a rare form of dementia at 55 years old, Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA), a type of frontotemporal dementia, which began with changes to her speech and progressed over time.
People diagnosed with PPA may have trouble remembering words and names of objects. Others may struggle to speak at their usual speed or to use words in the right order. This is known as ‘language-led’ dementia.
Amanda said: “My Mum was always there for us. She was a stubborn lady and very supportive of the whole family. She never dropped the ball. But she was only 55 when she was diagnosed with dementia back in 2015. She’d been having problems with her speech for a while but the doctors put it down to menopause. At first she was slurring her words but later she started to lose her speech entirely.”
Amanda describes how things got more and more difficult for the family;
“When Mum first got her diagnosis we made the most of every day, taking trips and visiting places she’d always wanted to see. We used phone apps to communicate. She didn’t lose her memory but the Covid lockdowns had a massive impact. We really saw a big deterioration and by 2023 she was struggling to eat and had lost a lot of weight. Things got harder for the family, especially my Dad, who cared for Mum at home. We lost her in April 2023.”
Amanda is supporting the Forget Me Not Appeal alongside hundreds of others across the UK including Alzheimer’s Society Ambassadors and celebrity supporters Anne-Marie Duff, Angela Rippon, Nick Collier, Sir Jonathan Pryce, Lavina Mehta and Dame Arlene Phillips, all sharing their personal reasons for what it means to them.
Jess Mackenzie, Alzheimer’s Society Regional Fundraiser for Cheshire, said: “We are so grateful to Amanda for supporting our Forget Me Not Appeal. One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime. Dementia affects all of us.”
“Every donation to the Forget Me Not Appeal helps fund crucial Alzheimer’s Society services and groundbreaking dementia research. In 2023/24, the charity’s Dementia Support Line answered nearly 60,000 calls from those in need.
“A donation of £10 could help fund research to end the devastation caused by dementia, £20 could pay for two weeks of essential Companion Calls for someone affected by dementia, while £50 could help families access a Dementia Adviser providing essential support.
“Everyone will have their own reason for wearing a badge, it could be in honour of a loved one receiving life-changing support, or in recognition of the groundbreaking research shaping the future for those living with dementia.”
Whatever your reason, donate at alzheimers.org.uk/forgetmenotappeal
For more information on PPA or other FTD dementias CLICK HERE
