Running in remembrance: raising funds for macular disease

Every year, runner Susan takes part in the Great North Run to remember her father, Neale. A welder, school caretaker and bassist, Neale was diagnosed with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in his 60s, before he passed away in 2023, aged 80.

Susan remembers how it impacted his life: “It had a shrinking effect not just on his eyes, but his world too,” she said.

Most notably, it was having to stop driving which was a pivotal moment for the family.

Susan explained: “When he did lose his sight, and he stopped driving that had a big impact on mum and dad. They suddenly had to think about public transport and that limited them to where and when they could go.

“But it was a gradual kind of change, and that allowed dad to adapt over time. He still tried to read and even now mum keeps finding old magnifiers around the house! There were subtle changes like mum having to read out the subtitles on TV, and mum still does it now out of habit.

“He was willing to adapt on his terms. He was in touch with the services for the visually impaired in County Durham which helped him in the early stages still use his computer, but what’s cruel is he had worked all of his adult life and then soon into retirement in his 60s he was diagnosed with wet AMD.”

Running for a cause: Susan and the Great North Run

Susan first took on the Great North Run in 2011, and has raised thousands of pounds for the Macular Society since 2014 – after her dad’s diagnosis – completing it in his memory in the last couple of years.

She said: “We remember dad in lots of different ways; for me it’s two and a half hours of contemplation and memories of my dad, and I will have a cry towards the finish line.

“The Great North Run is always amazing and in the latter years, dad would always say to me ‘you’re not doing it again, are you?’ and I’d say no but then I’d say ‘one more year’ and by August, with a month to go, I’d have my fundraising page back up.

“It’s just the Macular Society became a charity which was close to our hearts and I say it’s worthwhile raising money for a charity which you might need yourself in the future.

“Really my plan is just to keep on doing it and raise money for the Macular Society until I can’t do it anymore.”

Honouring her father through fundraising

Susan is grateful for the annual donations she receives and the difference it could make in the future.

She said: “I’m so grateful to them, people who knew dad and the impact it had on him.

“By funding macular research I hope one day there might be new drugs to treat it, earlier screening, or perhaps it can help lead to genetic-type discoveries which can halt people from losing their sight.

“I hope there will be a cure, but if not, that the support services continue to be funded, so I will continue to fundraise for the Macular Society for as long as I can.”

Through her dedication, Susan has raised thousands of pounds for the Macular Society, helping fund research, support services, and awareness initiatives so families affected by AMD, like hers, can get the help they need.