This year, Olivia Savory has decided to run this years London Marathon with all the money she raises going to support PramaLife. Check out her full story below of the reasons why she has not only decided to run in this years Marathon but why she has picked PramaLife specifically as her charity to support:
In September 2016, I ran the Warsaw Marathon in 4h 41m. I was 31 years old, and the fittest I’ve every been. Nine years and two children later, I haven’t run seriously since my eldest was born and didn’t think I would be entering a big event any time soon – until I watched runners streaming across the line in last year’s London Marathon and decided on a whim to enter the ballot. You can probably guess the rest!
Now I have four months to continue getting ready for what I already know will be an incredibly tough challenge. A decade ago, running a marathon wasn’t easy, but I knew deep down I could do it. At this point in my life, I’ll only really be able to answer that question when I’m standing on the start line – and maybe not even then.
So why am I putting myself through it? Why not give up my place and set my sights for now on something less daunting? Well, my Dad was diagnosed with dementia a few years ago. Since then, an amazing Dorset charity called PramaLife( and specially their care support group, Oakley Friends) have provided both my parents with invaluable support and advice, and have helped to make this pretty dramatic change to their lives feel a bit less scary and a bit more manageable.
For many people, a dementia diagnosis is incredibly overwhelming, whether they’re receiving it themselves or caring for someone who just had the rug pulled out from under them. It brings with it social stigma, fear of isolation and stressful bureaucracy, especially for anyone reliant on a pension or benefits. It’s disorienting and distressing. As society ages, more and more of us will be affected by dementia – directly or indirectly – which is why I am so grateful that charities like PramaLife are there to help.
PramaLife provides support groups, special interest activities, telephone befriending and much more to dementia patients and their carers. They have helped my parents to understand what they can expect from their future; they’ve offered practical help to my mum, as she’s devoted more time to caring for my dad, and when needed, they’ve simply provided them with someone to talk to.
My parents were at the finish line for my first marathon in Bournemouth 10 years ago and hopefully will be there in London in April. To be perfectly honest I have no idea at this point whether I’ll make it all the way down the Mall and over the line – but if I do, I know that they’ll be a big part of the reason why, and every pound I raise for PramaLife will give me more motivation to keep putting one foot in front of the other, both in training and on the day itself.
Love Livvy
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