A seven-year-old niece to a man living with Alzheimer’s was left in shock and awe following the “unbelievable” actions she took.
Ian’s niece Heidi Barker, from Great Sutton, has worked hard all her raising over $18,000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK upon taking part in a walkathon and walking for just over 600 miles. That’s more miles than it takes to get from Chicago to Washington, DC! The challenge was accepted to honor her beloved uncle Ian, who found out he had Alzheimer’s back in the autumn of 2020.
He initially started to think something was off when he was unable to recall his direction to normal every day stops in his vehicle. However, this didn’t hinder his thinking on the day his niece finished her stroll on Saturday, June 18. He was overjoyed, thrilled, and very proud of her.
David, Heidi’s father said:
“She decided that she wanted to do something to help Ian and other families who also have loved ones living with Alzheimer’s. She was having a think about what she could do, and she’s loved walking for as long as I can remember. Even as a baby she hardly spent any time in her pushchair. She likes history and culture as well, so we thought, if she walks from Lands’ End to John O’Groats, she could learn about all the towns and cities she’d visit along the way and learn new things while raising some money.”
"*" indicates required fields
Man's niece leaves him speechless after she finds out about his disease https://t.co/Yc7xsYWRWm
— Liverpool Live (@LivEchoLive) June 22, 2022
David continued. “When Ian was asked on Saturday to try and sum up how he feels about what Heidi’s doing, he actually couldn’t speak. He was just so emotional because he was so proud of her. He and Heidi absolutely adore each other.”
What a blessed, and bright young child whose certainly full of love and innocence. Heidi previously set out on her test marathon back in March of 2021, when she was even younger – at six years of age – and ever since then, she’s been strolling without breaking a sweat easily walking 1.4 miles for upwards 450 days. Along the walks, she has visited numerous places such as Blackpool and Bewdley.
Just as Heidi’s work had been praised in the neighborhood local area, she caught the attention of two LFC legends. In the wake of seeing the seven-year-old’s milestones and gathering charity, previous Red’s winger, John Barnes, chipped in himself to have an egg broken over his head in a bid to collect even more funds for the cause.
At that point, he designated individual Liverpool symbol, Robbie Fowler, to participate in the test, in spite of the fact that David says that Heidi is as yet hanging tight for the “elusive egging” of other well-known or famous people such as Steve McManaman and Jamie Carragher.
David said: “I think if we’d have thought about how long it was going to take her when it started, we probably would have thought twice about it, but she’s so determined that she just carried on going. Her original target was $1,227 and she’s now at about $19,027,” he continued “She’s just an incredible, very caring, very loving little girl who always puts other people first.”
What an amazing achievement, and for a selfless cause. I’m sure her uncle is brimming with so much joy. God bless her and the family.