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Rebecca Flowerdew, who has ‘no head for heights,’ performed a high-flying stunt in October, which she could only describe as ‘The Flight of my Life,’ at the Rendcomb Airfield in Cirencester, England, cheered on by close friends and family.
Originally from Guilford in Surrey, Rebecca Flowerdew spent nine years looking after her mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2006, a time when the Casares Costa resident says there ‘was no support here on the coast.’
She had enjoyed a 30-year career as a wedding photographer up until then but made the decision to put down her cameras to look after her mother, who died in 2015 after what Rebecca describes as ‘the long goodbye.’
‘I found myself at the town hall on my knees in tears, pleading for some support’
‘It was a very difficult and stressful period. I found myself at the town hall on more than one occasion on my knees in tears, pleading for some support. After three home visits over a five-year period, the town hall finally said that I qualified for assistance, but I never received it. I was desperate and forced to find a carer and pay for the support personally. Not long after, I found that all my jewellery and that of my mother’s and her mother’s before her, had gone – and so had the carer.’
Distastefully ironic, poor Rebecca received confirmation of support from the town hall the day after her dear mother passed away. Alzheimer’s affects around 800,000 people in Spain, a disease that presents the carers with challenges and devastating heartbreak as they watch their loved ones slowly deteriorate. It was a case such as this that prompted Rebecca, who has lived on the coast with her family for 24 years, to embark on her own crusade to raise awareness of the disease.
‘Caring for my mother with dementia for nine years has provided me with valuable insights’
Today she gives talks on ‘Living with Dementia’ after travelling to the UK just before COVID to participate in a programme to become a Dementia Champion. ‘I’m not an expert, and neither am I a counsellor, but caring for my mother with dementia for nine years has provided me with valuable insights into the challenges faced by families and caregivers. ‘The impact of dementia is profound, altering the course of one’s life significantly. Your life is quite simply, not your own.’
In 2018, Rebecca co-founded the ADSI (Alzheimer’s & Dementia Support International) charity shop in Sabinillas, Costa del Sol, together with her friend Claire Chiappe, with the aim of raising funds for a daycare centre. Despite the closure of the shop, the funds she raised personally with Claire and the volunteers, totalling almost €13,000, were transferred to the AFA daycare centre in Estepona, an Alzheimer’s centre that relies on public funding.
‘The dedication of our shop volunteers was truly remarkable. Claire’s mother attended the AFA daycare centre in Estepona and received all the love and care she needed. This service was never made available to me when my mother was in my care.’ Rebecca explained.
‘Undertake a wing walk to raise funds for cystic fibrosis and Alzheimer’s’
‘Recently, my close friend, who has suffered with cystic fibrosis for many years, was given only a few months to live. This motivated me to pursue the items on my bucket list for worthy causes. Last month, I decided to undertake a wing walk to raise funds for cystic fibrosis and Alzheimer’s, with a deep commitment to supporting the two causes that are close to my heart.’
‘The wingwalk was so exhilarating, it will remain with me forever. I thought I’d be so cold up there, so I bundled on a huge padded jacket under my jumpsuit, but the adrenaline running through my body was enough to keep me warm,’ she says.
Credit: RF
‘My pectoral muscles hurt a bit the next day, but only because I held my arms wide open against the very strong wind for that extra sense of freedom whilst flying through the clouds and then swooping down to wave to my friends and family spectating.’
Next on her bucket list is to swim with the most magnificent creatures on Earth – the whales. ‘But if you ever get the chance to do a wing walk,’ Rebecca recommends, ‘grab it with both hands! If you lose your nerve, give me a shout; I’ll do it for you.’
The link to donate remains open for another week. https://gofund.me/8ac44c7f