Video: Sandholes woman to shave head for Alzheimer’s Society

For Cookstown student Gemma Wylie and her family, Alzheimer’s is something they contend with everyday as Gemma’s grandmother suffers from the disease.

Gemma, says its hard to watch her granny suffer as she’s lost her abilty to talk and spends her days sitting in a chair.

Despite all this Gemma has remained positive and takes pleasure in the little things, as a few seconds of lucidity from her Granny “makes her whole week”.

The 20-year-old has decided she wants to help fight Alzheimers and believes that drastic action will help raise awareness and money for Alzeimher’s Society. She is going to shave off her hair for charity.

Gemma has been getting mixed reactions, “some people think I’m brave, some think I’m mad”, she laughs. But with a “drastic change”, she hopes “people will sit up and listen”.

She took her inpsiration from Jessie J, who famously shaved her head for Comic Relief last year. Gemma says she noticed people had a strong reaction to this event and hopes she can rally a simimlar responce.

The event will take place on February 1st, in the Royal Hotel in Cookstown at 7pm. She knows it’s too late to help her family but if she could give suppport and help to another family then it’s worth it.

Gemma says there are no words to describe what her family is going through but their support of one another makes it easier.

Any voluntary donations are more than welcome and can be donated in many ways either by the website http://www.justgiving.com/gemma-wylies-fundraising-page-3050 or by calling into Royal Hotel on the 1st February and donating then.