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Tony Bryant
Casares Costa
Friday, 1 November 2024
Alzheimer's affects around 800,000 people in Spain, a disease that presents sufferers' loved ones with challenges and devastating heartbreak as they watch them slowly deteriorate. It was a case such as this that prompted a British expat who has lived on the coast with her family for 24 years to embark on her own crusade to raise awareness of the disease.
Originally from Guilford, Surrey, Rebecca Flowerdew spent nine years looking after her mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2006, a time when the 63-year-old Casares Costa resident says there "was no support here on the coast". She had enjoyed a 30-year career as a wedding photographer up until then, but made the decision to put down her camera to look after her ailing mother, who died in 2015 after what Rebecca describes as "the long goodbye".
"It was a very difficult and stressful period. I would be on my knees crying, because my mother kept running away. I contacted the town hall, who said that I qualified for assistance, but I never received it. It was ironic that I eventually received confirmation of the support the day after she died," Rebecca told SUR in English.
It was the stress and heartbreak of caring for her mother, which she describes as "life-shattering", that prompted Rebecca to begin organising fundraising events on the Costa del Sol. Along with these, she also gives talks at various associations on the coast, such as Age Concern, on living with dementia. She came up with this idea after participating in the dementia champion programme in the UK.
"I'm not an expert and neither am I a counsellor, but caring for my mother for nine years has provided me with valuable insights into the challenges faced by families and caregivers. The impact of dementia is profound, altering the course of one's life significantly. Your life is quite simply not your own," Rebecca said.
In 2018, Rebecca co-founded the ADSI (Alzheimer's & Dementia Support International) charity shop in Sabinillas, together with her friend Claire Chiapee, with the aim of raising funds for a day care centre. Despite the closure of the shop during the pandemic, the funds raised, totalling almost 13,000 euros, were transferred to the AFA day care centre in Estepona, an Alzheimer's centre that relies on public funding, and with which Rebecca is still very much involved.
"The dedication of our shop volunteers was truly remarkable. Claire's mother was a resident at the AFA centre and received all the care she needed. This service was not available when my mother was ill," Rebecca explained.
With the recent news that one of her close friends was suffering with cystic fibrosis and was given only a few months to live, Rebecca was motivated to pursue the items on her bucket list for worthy causes. Last month, she decided to undertake a wing walk to raise funds for cystic fibrosis and Alzheimer's, which, she says, "is a deep commitment to supporting two causes that are so close to my heart".
The daredevil expat, who has "no head for heights", performed the high-flying stunt, which she described as "the flight of my life", at the Rendcomb Airfield in Cirencester, England, cheered on by close friends and family.
"I strongly believe in experiencing as much as we can during our lives. Time is precious, and we must seize every opportunity that comes our way. How good will it be reflecting on our lives with a sense of accomplishment saying, 'wow, I did it', rather than wishing we had always done it," she said.
Rebecca is also using her skills as a photographer to further boost her GoFundMe fundraising campaign, offering her services at small weddings, and for "family portraits with your pet". But her fundraising efforts will not stop here, as she is already contemplating a sky dive in the UK next year.
"The wing walk was so exhilarating, it will remain with me forever. I need to continue with my efforts, because I cannot just sit back and watch people suffer as I did," she concluded.
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