JOHN POPS' STORY...
ONE DAY A LONG TIME AGO, IN A LIFE FAR FAR AWAY... WELL, 2017 TO BE EXACT, AN ANGEL WHISPERED THE WORD 'DEMENTIA' INTO MY EAR. YOU CAN WATCH MY SERIES OF VIDEOS THAT CAPTURES HOW I DEAL AND JOURNEY WITH THIS DISEASE ON THE YOU-TUBE CHANNEL BY CLICKING THE LINK ON THE FRONT PAGE OR CLICKING THE LINK BELOW;
WHAT I DID BEFORE.
I started my career in horticulture and was a successful landscape gardener in the Bristol and South West and later a handyman. When I started to forget tools and materials it became clear that life wasnt going too greatly and I didnt know why.
Following 2 years of tests and scans etc I stopped working in 2017 following a diagnosis of PPA or Primary Progressive Aphasia Dementia.
I look at it as a 'sideways' step in my life, NOT the end!
WHAT I DID AFTER D-DAY. (DIAGNOSIS DAY).
Finding out and studying as much as possible gave me the drive I needed to build the emotional tools needed to travel with this disease safely.
Enrolling in and becoming a pro-active member of studies with Bristol, Leeds Beckett and Sheffield Universities started to give me back my purpose in the community.
I dived head-first into this apparently barren arena in the hope of helping to find the elusive cure and get the message out there that there is far more to the person than the Dementia.
WHAT I DO NOW.
I absolutely LOVE visiting schools and colleges (together with Alzheimer's Society and Bristol Well-Being) chatting with students of all ages from 6 years upwards, it's truly rewarding, even when they innocently ask thought provoking questions like; "Are you happy now you have Dementia John?"
Building my You-Tube Channel of short videos for the education of adults as well as students. Link above in header.
Writing the second book of Mr. Sloop stories as he also journeys with his own Dementia and how he hilariously gets around the issues that memory loss brings.
WHAT I PLAN TO DO.
Providing my speech does not deteriate, due to my Aphasia, and my capacity permits, I will continue to add educational and 'lived-in' experience videos to my You-Tube Channel.
I will also continue to write articles and poems about Dementia online and in person at conventions and 'Dementia awareness' days and events locally. I am determined to shout this message out from all corners of my day until a cure is found, and the first human being can stand up and say "I USED to have Dementia!"
I will also continue to sing in the Barn Owls choir and learn something new every day!
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