Lindsey Aldington from Exmouth is taking on a 24-hour walking challenge on 10 September for her dad who has recently been diagnosed with PSP and Parkinson’s after collapsing unexpectedly.
Lindsey plans to walk from Weymouth to Exmouth to help raise awareness of the conditions after she found her dad at the bottom of the stairs, where he had unfortunately been for approximately 60 hours, with no food, water or warmth. He was then diagnosed with the two neurodegenerative conditions following a three month stay in hospital.
Lindsey said: “Since dad came out of hospital, I’ve gradually watched PSP and Parkinson’s eat away at him, the man I once looked to for help with everything. He’s a shadow of the man I once knew and I cannot do anything as he slowly succumbs to both illnesses.
“Except I can! If my dad can survive and still be here today fighting to stay with us, I can definitely cope with walking for 24 hours. I want to do the challenge for my dad and to raise money to support research into PSP and Parkinson’s to hopefully stop future families going through what we are.
“I started my training for the 24 hours walk at the beginning of 2021, with long dog walks and exploring the SWCP with friends. In the last few weeks however, I’ve started to do the route for the challenge, section by section, so I know what to expect and when. There will be some interesting and demanding hill climbs towards the end.”
Lindsey aims to raise £2,000 by taking on the 24-hour challenge which she aims to complete at 6pm on 11 September in Exmouth. On completion Lindsey will have walked approximately 57 miles. You can follow Lindsay’s training and challenge at #Linzs24hourwalk or by visiting her fundraising page https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=LindseyAldington&pageUrl=1
