A woman whose parents died from dementia was interviewed “channelling all of that hurt, emotion and upset into something positive” by embarking on 50 challenges to raise money for Alzheimer’s research.
Shelle Luscombe (51), a Hampton resident, stated that she “wanted to do something memorable” when she turned 50, so set about inviting challenges from friends to raise money for Alzheimer’s Research UK in 2021.
Ms Luscombe’s father Ian died with Parkinson’s disease and dementia in 2017, and just months after beginning her mammoth series of challenges, her mother died with Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.
Having beaten her initial fundraising target of £5,000, she now has her sights set on £10,000.
(Shelle Luscombe)
“I think I’d be really emotional actually doing (£10,000) you know, in honour of my mom and dad,”Ms. Luscombe spoke to the PA news agency.
“Someone asked me ‘what would your mum or dad make of everything that you’re doing?’ I think they would think I was completely bonkers.
“My mum was quite sociable, but quite quiet in lots of ways. And then my dad was very shy. But you know what, it’s given me such a good focus.
“To actually be channelling all of that hurt, emotion and upset into something positive feels great.”
Ms Luscombe’s challenges are geared towards looking after the brain, with a focus on keeping fit, socially active and learning new things.
She has quit smoking, taken a skydive from 15,000 feet, drove a barge up Thames while she broadcast a radio program, and performed stand-up comedy.
(Shelle Luscombe)
“All these new things I’ve tried to do, like learning paddleboarding, it’s really good for working your brain because you’re trying to keep your balance and you’re learning a new skill,”She spoke.
“But you’re also out in nature and fresh air. It’s a bit of exercise, so it sort of ticks lots of boxes.”
Ms Luscombe’s 34 challenges so far include walking the Thames bed during a lock draw-off. “pretty cool”.
She said: “It’s a phenomenal amount of water that goes through that stretch.
“So to sort of be standing under bridges where the water would normally be really high on the bridge, and to be standing right underneath it in the middle, was just amazing.”
Ms. Luscombe had originally set her 50 challenges for July 2021, but she was unable to complete them. The deadline was pushed back to November this year. She now has 500 days to complete the challenge.
The remaining goals include learning to ride a bicycle, performing 20 acts of kindness per day, and completing the Circle Line pub crawl in orange.
“The one I’m least looking forward to is spending the night in a haunted house,”She added that “completing the Circle Line pub crawl”It was something she looked forward to.
(Shelle Luscombe)
The challenges are fun and enjoyable. However, Ms Luscombe noted that her mother’s age was what made it so motivating. “showing signs”Alzheimer’s disease.
“My mom was in her mid sixties when she started showing signs of it… I mean, that’s scary as hell for me. That’s not very far away,”She spoke.
“I was like, I need to live my life now. That was another motivation actually, for the challenges, I need to get out there and live, because if the same thing happens to me I’ve only got 15 years of being on it and with it and that’s scary.”
To find out more about Shelle’s challenges, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ShelleLuscombeOfficial.