Mufor Kegne

Grandad

When I was a child growing up in Cameroon, I didn’t understand what was happening to my grandad.

I knew he moved in with us because he was sick and my mom needed to take care of him. 

He would get confused, sometimes agitated, not remember who my mom was and slowly became someone we struggled to recognize. At that age, I didn’t have the words for it. I didn’t know it was dementia.

What I did see, every single day, was my mom.

I watched her care for him with strength and patience, even when it was exhausting. I saw how much it took from her physically, financially, emotionally and mentally. We eventually lost him which was devastating. 

And like many families in Cameroon and across Africa, we had little support, little awareness, and nowhere to turn for help.

Today, I understand what we were going through. My grandad was living with dementia condition that still receives far too little attention in our communities.

That’s why I’m taking part in this dementia run.

I’m running to raise awareness.
I’m running to support families who are going through this silently.
I’m running so that more people can understand, get help, and not feel alone.

If my story resonates with you, please consider supporting this cause. Together, we can bring attention, care, and change to something that affects so many but is so rarely talked about.

Thank you.