Students to tackle trail in fundraiser for Alzheimer's
Always quick with a one-liner or a slightly naughty joke, Shirley Reid was sharp-witted with a notorious sense of humour.
Watching that colourful character slowly fade away as Alzheimer's disease took hold was one of the hardest things granddaughter Jaime Reid had ever experienced.
The 20-year-old Taieri resident and Lincoln University student said her grandmother died in July last year.
"She moved to Mosgiel and was in a rest-home for a while.
"Watching her decline wasn't very nice at all, to be honest.
"She sort of remembered us for most of it, which was nice.
"But it was very hard visiting her when she was getting like that at the end."
She remembered her grandmother as being intelligent and very involved with community activities.
"At her funeral, it was quite amazing, hearing about her life story — she achieved quite a bit."
It was similar for Miss Reid's partner and fellow Lincoln University student Theo Wolfhagen.
The 21-year-old Tasmanian's grandfather Guy Peltzer died in April this year with the same disease.
Theo Wolfhagen with his late grandfather, Guy Peltzer, and Jaime Reid with her late grandmother, Shirley Reid.
Following his grandfather's funeral, the duo started talking about their grandparents' experiences with Alzheimer's, and came up with a plan to raise money for Alzheimers New Zealand.
"Our grandparents have been huge supporters throughout both of our lives, and it's been quite a big loss," Miss Reid said.
"We suddenly thought that maybe we should be doing something about it, because obviously it affected both of us.
"And then I thought, 'oh, I've seen quite a few people raising money recently, doing different things like walking a certain distance in a month or whatever'."
So they have opened a Givealittle page online, and Miss Reid plans to run 70km on the Otago Central Rail Trail, between Wedderburn and Middlemarch, on August 30.
Mr Wolfhagen will cycle alongside her.
"Theo's not much of a runner, so hopefully he'll carry a backpack with all the water and food for me as well," she said.
It was hoped more than $1000 could be raised for Alzheimers New Zealand. As of yesterday, $880 had already been raised.
The pair decided to tackle 70km along the trail because the distance reflected the 70,000 New Zealanders who were living with dementia.
It would be a personal tribute of endurance, loss and connection, she said.
john.lewis@odt.co.nz
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