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Headlines 17 Leaving a Legacy of Hope “It all started with forgetting when Downton Abby was on, or what she had for lunch but soon it started turning into forgetting memories and people.” Kathryn Omond was born and bred in Dunedin, New Zealand. She has always enjoyed living in the Otago region, firstly in Queenstown for a period then moving 20 years later to the Marlborough Sounds with her husband Matthew and two dogs. Kathryn has been a marriage and funeral celebrant for 15 years and prior to that, a legal secretary. She and her husband are now enjoying the slower lifestyle, enjoying boating and fishing any time they can in the Sounds. Kathryn is also a long-time supporter of the Neurological Foundation and will be leaving the Foundation a gift in her will when she passes. “I would do anything at all possible to prevent anyone else going through the living hell that I went through watching my mother slowly die. More and more people are suffering with dementia but it’s not only the person affected with the disease, it affects the entire family and those close to the person. I want to make a significant difference in the research that goes on and this will enable these very clever researchers to be able to do that.” Kathryn’s mother suffered from dementia for nine years and Kathryn was right there with her throughout the entire ordeal. Her mother was a vivacious, caring and smart woman and when the disease took hold of her brain, she became something entirely different; someone Kathryn couldn’t recognise any more. “Mum turned from a very intelligent, quick, witty woman with an enormous sense of humour and personality to match, to a sad, empty shell of a woman. It was like someone else had invaded my mother’s body. Dementia steals lives without mercy and cares not about the devastation it leaves in its wake.” To Kathryn, leaving a legacy after she passes, is not only a way to honour her mother and herself, but to also ensure that in the future no one has to live through what she lived through. “Any amount of money, even small amounts which soon add up, will be If you would like to know more about leaving a gift in your will or leaving a legacy of hope, please contact your Donor Relations Specialist in your area (which can be found on page 2 of this magazine). of help to research and can go a long way to finding ways to slow it down, if not stop it altogether.” Kathryn, like many of our supporters, knows that it’s not just the person living with the disease or condition that are affected, but also their family, friends and loved ones. Although dementia took her mother from her, Kathryn will always remember and cherish the memories she has of her mum, and that is her advice to us all. “Cherish every moment, even the hard times.” “Any amount of money, even small amounts which soon add up, will be of help to research and can go a long way to finding ways to slow it down, if not stop it altogether.”