I’m hosting a Cuppa to raise funds for all people living with dementia. This one is very close to my heart as my father Garry was diagnosed 2 and a half years ago with frontal temporal Dementia.. we have our ups and downs and good days and bad but his str
I'm taking part in Cuppa Time for Dementia to raise funds that support more than 433,300 Australians living with this condition right now.
But I need your help!
Please support me so we can continue to help people with dementia by providing the services and support they need every day.
Dementia is the leading cause of death among women in Australia. And overall it comes in at number 2. That's why we need to do something now.
Let's create a Dementia-Friendly Future for tomorrow and help people impacted by dementia today.
When you support me, your donation goes straight to Dementia Australia. It will help them:
- Provide a 24 hour support line
- Offer counselling services
- Create and provide important information about dementia
- Help people plan their nexts after a diagnosis
- Fund much needed research into prevention, treatments, and a cure.
Let's tackle dementia, together.
Thank you for your support.
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Thank you everyone!! ❤️
Friday 17th Oct I have been on and off this page dealing with my own brain issues! I’m fine just trying to focus my energy on my mental health! Sorry for the late thanks!Wow, I am absolutely blown away with everyone’s love, support and donations to such a worthy cause!
Having never really experienced and having very limited knowledge on this Unrelenting disease to now living day by day in this hell the disease wrecks not only on the person it’s effecting but on the families. I will admit in the past I may have jokingly said “ oh it’s like being a child again, I wouldn’t mind having an excuse to forget things or certain people some days”. That was before it became my families actual reality.
As most of you know for 19 yrs I have been an Early Childhood Educator and I’m sure all of you know my dad LOVES children… always having bags of lollies and treats for all the neighbourhood kids even before I moved out of home! Yes we have told him for many a year that he can’t do that anymore as it’s not the ‘ norm’ and now it’s considered “ creepy” of course he never listened and still doesn’t lol waving at every baby he sees at Coles as I’m waving as well not to make the situation weird when the parents look!
My point to this is….as much as my job is emotional, mentally and physically taxing it has actually provided me with a lesson I never thought I’d need. The ability to transfer my knowledge, empathy, patience and practice to every day scenarios and given me the ability to positively manage and use speech/behaviour guidance strategies with my own father! Who would have thought hey! Not to toot my own horn but they’ve worked when they have been used so far! lol most of the time he eventually gets what I’m doing as we skip arm in arm for ‘me’ to go to the toilet or the doctors or even to eat! Our time together whilst having an end goal is always cherished with both of us skipping along laughing at each other making this routine or task easier and something “happy” thus giving him the ability to still have a sense of ownership and dignity to his life and his own identity.
Anyway I always go off topic…but I just have so many things to say about my dad that when I begin to write they tend to come to life in my words and then I want you to see him how I see him and all his glory and yes I say Glory as whatever mood his in.. the good, the bad, the very very bad, the funny, the embarrassing but you have to laugh, and the OMG DAD moments that is him and he is glorious with or without his “dodgy brain” 🧠. Apparently it’s genetic so wish me luck! 😂 also 6 months after my dads diagnoses we found ourselves gaining a new but old family member Marco who already was “special” and “unique” only then to find out that as his uniqueness became more apparent yet hilarious because if you don’t laugh you’d cry…he was also diagnosed with ‘doggy Dementia’ 🐶
So now at least Dads got a furry friend to sympathise with! 🤣 The vets on first meeting him called him an “ empty bucket full of love, his got no thoughts, just vibes” and dad now calls him “ Bucket”….” How you doing there Bucket?”
Ok here’s dad’s message to me and to all of you that has shown love ❤️
Mate Thank you for registering with the cuppa for dementia Thank you for the nice words you wrote You are just such a special daughter. If Fanny names her newborn baby Garry Robert Knight I will donate to myself $10 and if it is a girl 🧒 her name is to be Garrietta Roberta Fannita Very French I feel 🤷🏼🚴🏿♀️🇭🇺🇾🇪 Thank you for everything you do for me and a big hug and kiss I love you lots you really are the best! I big big thank you to everyone who wants to fix my brain 🧠 and glad I can make them all laugh! I sent your text to Bruce Willis He is going to come and stay with me when he can find out where Australia is Love you mate 🧓 xxxxxxxxxxx Ciao guys! ❤️
Help to find a cure for Garrys’ Brain 🧠
Saturday 13th SepHi all,
This is a cause close to my heart ❤️
My Dad was diagnosed 2 and a half years ago with frontal temporal Dementia…if you want to know how this is Different to other Dementia diagnosis’s Garry will proudly tell you it’s the same one that Bruce Willis has…The Famous kind… that only Famous people get..like his
mate bruce! 😂🤦🏼♀️ so of course my dad has to make such a heartbreaking disease into something rare and one of a kind because god forbid his just like “everybody else” according to dad Bruce calls him quite regularly and dad has to remind Bruce that they just spoke and can he please stop ringing him all the time…however neither of them seem to remember their conversations as they both keep forgetting...
that only slightly sums up my dad and his personality in one! Not even an incurable brain disease can dampen his spirits and he manages to find a positive where others see a negative… his most recent line is “ great I can just say “I forgot or don’t remember”when your mum asks if I took out the bins or when I call… his own daughter and never hear back from him thinking his passed out or fallen over and broken his hip or knocked his head that’s why his not answering or calling back but instead his cackling away eating his 7th banana of the day and has fallen down the YouTube rabbit hole and is watching the kings guards for the 10th time that day or watching people infected with Bot flies get them removed, and let’s not forget his favourite people… Harry and Megan markel…NOT! I’m forever wondering why his yelling at the TV then quickly realises he must be watching her on YouTube… I will not be repeating his words during this time! 😂 He has lost many things over the last year, his license, he had to retire early, his physical strength and daily tasks that we take for granted now need to be either done for him or with support from someone…He’ll tell me off if I don’t mention the thing that bugs him the most… his ability to taste foods..this man would eat 10 pickled chilli garlic cloves by lunch time straight out of the jar and of course always offered us some… “ Good for the colds and flus James you should have some” 🤮 now the smell of meat, onions and garlic make him feel sick so let’s just eat cheap packet soups that you just add water too and have no nutritional value plus the salt and MSG instead and eat 10 bananas a day hey! YES DAD… that’s so healthy! Great role modeling mate 😉😝 throughout all this my dad has remained strong, witty and humble and still refuses to use the disability sticker in the car as “ there are actual people that need it, I don’t want to take someone’s spot” as his limping to an appointment from 2 blocks away in the pouring rain… that’s just how my dad is! Always puts others first, grateful that his able to walk and do the things he does with a constant reminder to myself, mum and James that we’re not dying, we have all our body parts and to “buck up mate, pull up your socks and get on with it!” His truly inspiring… good days and bad, he’ll hold his head high and turn everything into a joke, a lesson or get me to record him doing something ridiculous just so he can watch himself and gets me to send it to all his contacts… just to bring a smile and laugh to others! Love you Dad your the best mate a girl could have ❤️🫶🏽🥹 if you have read this far… well done! I should probably be donating money to you… do you take Bananas as payment?! We have heaps! 😂
ShareThank you to my Sponsors
$200
Rachel
$106.12
Mackenzie Barker
love you all ❤️ - mackenzie, angelique + paul
$59.41
Pauline Boorer
Everyone loves Uncle Garry. And we sure do. Beautiful write up Rach sums up Garry perfectly 💜
$59.41
Albert Lee
Anything for my good friend Garry Knight.
$54.12
Liz Serritelli
Love to Rachel and the Knight family 🫖☕️❤️
$54.12
Marie & Anth Kotsop
Love to you & your family Rachel xoxo
$54.12
Kaylene Elliott
Thinking of you, my husband had this.
$42.64
Erin Chew
Your dad sounds like a legend, Rach! Just like his daughter 🫶🏼
$22.58
Renee
Love to you and your family Rach xox
$22.58
Nicole
Love and hugs to the Knight family
$22.58
Amy
All our love to you all. Garry, you’re amazing!! Amy + family! xx
$22.58
Patricia O'hara
All my love to Garry... From your coconut ice baker, Trish xo
$22.10
Fanny
So much Love for dear Garry ♥️♥️
$20
Kate Taylor
Big love to you and your dad Rach!
Wow, I am absolutely blown away with everyone’s love, support and donations to such a worthy cause! Having never really experienced and having very limited knowledge on this Unrelenting disease to now living day by day in this hell the disease wrecks not only on the person it’s effecting but on the families. I will admit in the past I may have jokingly said “ oh it’s like being a child again, I wouldn’t mind having an excuse to forget things or certain people some days”. That was before it became my families actual reality. As most of you know for 19 yrs I have been an Early Childhood Educator and I’m sure all of you know my dad LOVES children… always having bags of lollies and treats for all the neighbourhood kids even before I moved out of home! Yes we have told him for many a year that he can’t do that anymore as it’s not the ‘ norm’ and now it’s considered “ creepy” of course he never listened and still doesn’t lol waving at every baby he sees at Coles as I’m waving as well not to make the situation weird when the parents look! My point to this is….as much as my job is emotional, mentally and physically taxing it has actually provided me with a lesson I never thought I’d need. The ability to transfer my knowledge, empathy, patience and practice to every day scenarios and given me the ability to positively manage and use speech/behaviour guidance strategies with my own father! Who would have thought hey! Not to toot my own horn but they’ve worked when they have been used so far! lol most of the time he eventually gets what I’m doing as we skip arm in arm for ‘me’ to go to the toilet or the doctors or even to eat! Our time together whilst having an end goal is always cherished with both of us skipping along laughing at each other making this routine or task easier and something “happy” thus giving him the ability to still have a sense of ownership and dignity to his life and his own identity. Anyway I always go off topic…but I just have so many things to say about my dad that when I begin to write they tend to come to life in my words and then I want you to see him how I see him and all his glory and yes I say Glory as whatever mood his in.. the good, the bad, the very very bad, the funny, the embarrassing but you have to laugh, and the OMG DAD moments that is him and he is glorious with or without his “dodgy brain” 🧠. Apparently it’s genetic so wish me luck! 😂 also 6 months after my dads diagnoses we found ourselves gaining a new but old family member Marco who already was “special” and “unique” only then to find out that as his uniqueness became more apparent yet hilarious because if you don’t laugh you’d cry…he was also diagnosed with ‘doggy Dementia’ 🐶 So now at least Dads got a furry friend to sympathise with! 🤣 The vets on first meeting him called him an “ empty bucket full of love, his got no thoughts, just vibes” and dad now calls him “ Bucket”….” How you doing there Bucket?” Ok here’s dad’s message to me and to all of you that has shown love ❤️ Hello Mate Thank you for registering with the cuppa for dementia Thank you for the nice words you wrote You are just such a special daughter. If Fanny names her newborn baby Garry Robert Knight I will donate to myself $10 and if it is a girl 🧒 her name is to be Garrietta Roberta Fannita Very French I feel 🤷🏼🚴🏿♀️🇭🇺🇾🇪 Thank you for everything you do for me and a big hug and kiss I love you lots you really are the best! I big big thank you to everyone who wants to fix my brain 🧠 and glad I can make them all laugh! I sent your text to Bruce Willis He is going to come and stay with me when he can find out where Australia is Love you mate 🧓 xxxxxxxxxxx Ciao guys! ❤️