Dr Zaid Aldin, a consultant vascular specialist who runs Harley Street Vein Clinic in London, explains why he felt compelled to sponsor the Dementia Help Cycle Challenge. 

I know from personal experience how much effort it takes to build a business from scratch. I spent five years completing my medical training and a further two years launching and developing the Harley Street Vein Clinic into a successful practice. So after many years of training and hard work to grow my business, I can appreciate first-hand how devastating it must have been for Peter Berry when he realised he would have to give up his own business after his dementia diagnosis, which had been in his family since 1947.

Unfortunately, Peter knew he had no choice. When you run a company, there’s so many things to think about and you must be able to juggle many different tasks. You need to be at your best.

Peter said he first noticed something was wrong when he began making mistakes with calculations and quotations. He realised his memory was letting him down badly when he started to forget about meetings he’d had the day before. He’d meet a client in the morning and have no recollection of the meeting the next day. I can only imagine how disturbing that must have been and I know that, if I’d been in his shoes, I’d have been very worried.

In business, you need to be able to rely on your memory, instinct and judgement. You need to be organised. Dementia is clearly a condition that can have a massive impact on memory and on a person’s ability to make decisions. Letting his business go must have been one of the hardest decisions Peter has ever had to make.

When I first heard about the Dementia Help Cycle Challenge and how the team are raising funds for YoungDementia UK, I didn’t hesitate to agree to becoming a sponsor. While I am fortunate enough to not have a personal connection to dementia, I can understand the challenges Peter must face and I’m so impressed that he and the rest of the Dementia Help team are committing their time and energy to raising money. Clearly, dementia is not just a disease affecting the elderly.

More information
Dr Zaid Aldin is a consultant vascular and interventional radiologist specialising in treating vascular disease. Harley Street Vein Clinic provides treatments for varicose veins and offers a holistic approach to treatments, tailoring procedures to provide long-term results. Treatment includes a full consultation with a consultant vascular specialist, the latest and safest non-surgical procedures and access to state-of-the-art facilities. For more information on Harley Street Vein Clinic and its range of treatments, visit https://www.harleystreetveinclinic.com

If you would like to sponsor the Dementia Help Cycle Challenge (330 miles across the country in six days) and help the team raise vital funds for YoungDementia UK, visit https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/TeamDementiaHelp