I was born in North London (next to the Guinness factory) in 1949. I have never moved far from my roots and I have lived in Highgate since 1976. I left school at 15 and spent 9 months at Secretarial College and then I went to work at Courtaulds where I stayed most of my life. Courtaulds was my university of life. I went in as a junior secretary and went on to be a senior manager. Jobs were easy to get in those good old days. When Courtaulds was taken over by Akzo Nobel in 1999 I took my redundancy and set up my own consultancy (just me) working for ex main board directors of Courtaulds who had moved on to other things.I called it a day in 2013 and set about the project management of our house refurbishment.
It was around 2015/2016 when I noticed I had difficulty speaking. A friend of mine pointed it out to me first; my husband had not noticed! I went to the GP countless times. She finally sent me to a doctor who thought it was anxiety. He did an MRI scan and couldn’t see anything wrong! I didn’t buy into that.It wasn’t until 13 Aug 2020 they confirmed that I had a rare dementia called primary progressive non-fluent aphasia (PFNA). I had thought that I was invincible! I speak very slowly now and have difficulty with pronouncing some of the words. The other parts of my brain seem to be working perfectly normally so far.
I have a very creative mind. Working out how to do some things better and invent others. Perseverance. Combining fun with hard work.
When I retired (over 8 years ago) I took up creative embroidery at Highgate Literary & Scientific Institution in Pond Square in Highgate, North London. The class members have all become good friends and they have been very supportive of me and my diagnosis. I have loved every minute of it and have become a serial stitcher.
I am a felter too. I use felt as a background in a lot of my pictures. Planning what I am going to make. I never know where it is going to take me. That’s the fun part of it.
All my local friends have been very supportive of me as have those at The Highgate Literary & Scientific Institution. They have taken the time to listen to me.
When a friend heard of my diagnosis she suggested that I should take up yoga. I do it 6 days a week online from Jaipur, a one-to-one session. I also do an additional 15 minutes of breathing exercises called Pranayama. I think these sessions have helped me to have a more positive attitude/outlook on life. My back (I have a spinal problem also) has benefitted from it too. I feel my speech is better also. I wish I had started it sooner. It has become a way of life.I like to walk with friends on Hampstead Heath and in Waterlow Park in Highgate.I like going to museums and the cinema and I love going to rugby with my husband who used to play for Leicester & Saracens a very long time ago.
It’s not the end of the world. Positivity is the key. Do other things. The opportunity to exchange and share experiences and to make new friendships are two of the nicest things which the Rare Dementia Support organisation itself, has enabled me to enjoy.