This post, I would like to focus on a cause that is close to my heart, and a terrible disease. I'd like to tell you a little bit about the many forms of dementia.
 |
| Left: normal brain - Right: Dementia brain (c) Wikipedia |
When someone is diagnosed with dementia, they forget things. First it's little things, like keys, appointments, cooking.. But it gets worse: they forget memories, faces, family members. And the worst bit is: there is no cure. Alzheimer is the most common kind of dementia, followed by vascular dementia (often caused by a stroke). 1 out of 5 people get the diagnosis dementia.
When I was 18, my grandmother was diagnosed with dementia. After her death in 2011, it turned out that she had a rare form of dementia called Lewy Body. Lewy Body is a very quick and aggressive form of dementia and very different from the 'kind' Alzheimer. People with Lewy Body start hallucinating, get confused and mood swings. They can be all calm one moment and very very angry the next. You don't know how fast you can lose someone you love, when they have Lewy Body.
Thankfully, I never saw the worst bit of Lewy Body. My mother, however, did. First with her grandfather and then with her own mother. She doesn't talk about it a lot, but I can't or want to imagine what sort of pain it must be, to see your own mother disappear so fast and aggressively. It's terrifying.
 |
| Alzheimer Socks! |
A couple of months ago, the Alzheimer fund in Holland started a special campain to make people more aware of the illness. By doing this, two famous designers created 'Alzheimer Socks': one blue sock and one black-white striped sock.
 |
| Mixed socks to raise awareness! |
They represent the struggle that people with dementia have every day. Buy the socks and you're donating money towards the Alzheimer Fund in Holland. Isn't it just a great idea to get attention for dementia? As soon as I saw the commercial for the first time, I nearly ran out to buy them. I got two pair and started wearing all my socks mixed up. I wore my socks mixed for 30 days, and told a lot of people about it. After the 30 days, I donated 30 euros to the Fund.
 |
| Needless to say I like dots and stripes :) |
Shortly after donating, I had an idea. To raise more awareness, I decided to bake a special cake: a Dementia Cake!
 |
| Dementia Cake :) |
The idea for this cake is the same as the Alzheimer Socks: to represent the struggle people with dementia have every day. One half is a chocolate/coffee cake with chocolate icing and roasted almonds, the other half is a vanilla/lemon cake with jam, whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
 |
| Very different kinds of cakes now combined :) |
The dementia kind my grandmother had, Lewy Body, is a special kind of dementia that couldn't be diagnosed until the patient had passed away. Lately, there have been some developments in science that made it possible for the disease to be diagnosed. But it's still a very unknown disease and that simply HAS to change!
This is a very personal post, with a personal request: please help the Alzheimer Fund, so they can do more research and hopefully find some sort of cure. But maybe it's not that personal. 1 out of every 5 people get the diagnosis dementia. In a family, that could be you or your mother or father. Wouldn't it be nice if the researchers found a cure before that happens? I know I'll be screaming with happiness if they do find a cure!
Thank you for reading this, thank you even more if you're donating <3 Donating is also possible by buying the Alzheimer Socks :)
I wish you a wonderful week ahead <3
 |
| <3<3<3 |
Love, Rebecca
