Alzheimers dad raises £18,000 for holiday of a lifetime

A dad diagnosed with Alzheimers aged just 30 says he was amazed after an online campaign raised £18,000 in just days
Daniel Bradbury with his partner Jordan Evans and their twins Lola and Jasper.Daniel Bradbury with his partner Jordan Evans and their twins Lola and Jasper.
Daniel Bradbury with his partner Jordan Evans and their twins Lola and Jasper.

Daniel Bradbury of Hucknall inherited the devastating disease from his father and has been warned his 18-month-old twins have a 50 per cent chance of developing it in later life.

Daniel launched an online campaign to raise £10,000 to take his family to Disney World Florida, which was reached in a few days.

Mr Bradbury was told he had early onset Alzheimer’s in September, but it went undiagnosed for a year.

He told the BBC he has been been “blown away by the support” on his JustGiving page.

He said: “As my memory fades I’m hoping this will create lasting memories for my partner and our children so that one day they can look back on the videos and photos of us all together,”

“We thought we were being ambitious when we started this but to reach our goal so fast is a dream come true.”

Mr Bradbury said the rest of the money will go towards a trust fund for his twins Lola and Jasper.

He began showing symptoms of the disease in July, when he lost his engineering job, because bosses said he was “under-performing”.

The former aerospace worker went to his GP and following a series of tests, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s inSeptember – blood tests revealed he had the rare PSEN1 gene mutation, a common cause of early onset-Alzheimer.

Daniel’s father Adrian died from the disease in 1999 aged 36.

Sufferers who inherit PSEN1 from their parents usually die at about the same age.

Daniel, who lives with partner Jordan Evans and their twins Lola and Jasper, is trying to raise money to take his family on a final holiday before his memories fade.

He said: “I try not to think about it. I live day by day with both good days and bad days. It doesn’t just affect me, but everyone around me as well.

“I do not know how long I have till it takes a real hold. I want to be as much of a dad as I can for as long as I can be.

“As my memory fades, I am hoping to create lasting memories for my partner and our children, so one day they can look back on the videos and photos of us all together and cherish them.

“I remember my dad going through it in 1999.

“The doctors didn’t know he had Alzheimer’s at that time, but it was horrible to watch.

“I realised something was wrong at work when I struggled to grasp problems and concentrate. I was lethargic and couldn’t remember how things worked.

“When I am asked about what the future holds I just say that I think about providing memories for Jordan and the kids. They are the ones who matter.”

Daniel, who suffers from short-term memory loss, confusion and problems with his balance, has been warned to expect the symptoms to accelerate because of his young age.

He was told there was a chance he had the condition when Jordan was four months’ pregnant in early 2016, but decided not to get tested at the time.

After his twins’ first birthday, his symptoms became more pronounced so he went to his doctor who told him he had been living with the disease for a year.

Sadly, he has been warned his two children have a 50 per cent chance of being diagnosed with the disease when they reach their 30s.

They cannot be tested for the gene until they are 18, due to laws on patients finding out about genetic conditions.

Sean, Daniel’s brother , aged 28, has been tested and given the all clear, but his younger brother Alex, 23, has decided he does not want to find out.

NHS worker Jordan, 29, said the family were now in a race against time to make cherished family memories before Daniel becomes too ill.

She said: “We had a suspicion something was not right but were praying it was not this. We were shocked and devastated by the diagnosis.

“It was particularly difficult to hear the children have a chance of getting it too.

“It’s been really hard for us but we are determined to live every day to the fullest.”

“We try to have some non-Alzheimer’s days when we do not talk about it. When the babies get older they can remember how great a dad he was.”

Daniel and Jordan, who met 12 years ago, have set up a Justgiving page to raise £10,000 to take their children on a trip to Disneyland Florida later this year.

Daniel also hopes to use the money to tick off a number of things on his bucket list, including a skydive with his brothers.

Jordan said: “We want to raise as much as possible to have a trip as a family and create memories for the children.

“We were hoping to take them when they were older and can remember it, but that is not a possibility now.

“It will mean a lot to be happy as a family, to look back and remember the good times we had.”

The couple have raised more than £18,000 since the page was set up on Tuesday.

To donate to Daniel’s fund, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/daniel-patrick-bradbury