Educator Adam Kemp Aims To Raise Caregiver Awareness By Running The London Marathon

In April of this year, I will be running the London Marathon in support of Charity Dementia UK. I selected this charity to honor and celebrate the life of my grandparents who both suffered from the impacts of dementia, but to also support the ongoing and invaluable services of Dementia UK. 

You can read my full story through my donations page: Dementia UK – Adam

So why am I running the London marathon for Dementia UK?

I’ve completed many races during my years of running, from road races to exhausting, endless trial races. They were all for self-fulfillment, to challenge me and break mental barriers for what I considered possible. 

Now, my responsibility is to channel my obsession with challenges in a new direction — to help and support the generous superhuman admiral nurses working with Dementia UK.

Selecting to aid this charity was a simple decision having experienced the debilitating impact of dementia firsthand. 

Adam completes the Bratislava Marathon

My grandmother sadly suffered from the condition in her later life, and I watched on as a loving, caring, charitable woman became a shell of her former self. But sadly, she was not the only victim of this degenerative condition. My grandfather gave his all to support her. Washing her. Feeding her. Lifting her into bed. Every day battling through the mental pain of watching the love of his life fade before his eyes.

Unfortunately, he did not have access to the fantastic work of Dementia UK that would have offered a vital lifeline. After my grandmother’s passing, the years of stress finally took their toll. Days of endless worrying and mental fatigue severely impacted his health. He spent the later years of his life in a care home and passed away a few years ago. 

Embodying the Changemaker Curriculum and THINK Global School Core Values

As an educator at THINK Global School, I align myself with the values and ambitions of our Changemaker Curriculum, which strives to develop young adults that will become changemakers in a global context.

Adam and students cook a meal in Seoul, South Korea

Beyond my direct responsibilities at TGS, such as developing projects to promote global awareness and leading discussions that encourage exploring new perspectives, my additional contribution is to be a role model in our students’ daily lives. I firmly believe it would be hypocritical of me to expect students to represent our core values in their actions if I didn’t embody the same actions myself. I look forward to leading by example at this year’s London Marathon. 

I am hopeful that seeing my dedication to training and supporting the cause of dementia will positively impact our students’ development, particularly when it comes to their service-learning projects. Our aim as a collective of diverse educators is to provide students with the keys to instigate change, starting in their local community all the way up to international initiatives. Combining fitness, endurance, and a noble cause could easily be emulated by anyone in our community and beyond. 

Change does not happen instantaneously. Change is not achieved through a one-off event. Change requires dedication, motivation, and the involvement of others. In my context of supporting a charity, I am a small cog in the larger engine of a charity’s ambitions. However, my involvement and perseverance to raise money through donations will provide the necessary resources for the charity’s projects to continue. 

Every three minutes, someone in the UK develops dementia. With that in mind, please help me to ensure that the irreplaceable caregivers receive the care they need, too. All donations, no matter the amount will help support and expand the work of Dementia UK. 

Thank you. 

Adam Kemp, CM2 Educator