A‘ loop-the-loop was one of 50 challenges I did at 50’
SHELLE LUSCOMBE, 51, from Hampton, works in music and events
‘In the run-up to my 50th birthday, I had a bit of a “midlife moment”. I’d lost my dad to Parkinson’s in 2017 and my mum, who developed dementia in her late-60s, was deteriorating rapidly. I felt frightened. If I followed a similar path to my parents – and my grandparents who’d also had dementia – I might only have 15 years before I start experiencing symptoms myself. It was a very sobering thought.
So I decided to throw myself into my 51st year by asking friends, family and people I didn’t know to set me 50 challenges to complete before I turned 51 – and it kick-started my lust for life.
Supporting loved ones with dementia is exhausting, both physically and emotionally. Over the last few years, there’s been a lot to do; taking care of Dad’s affairs after he died, arranging care for Mum as her needs increased and eventually clearing out and selling the family home once she moved into a nursing home. My own life had been in limbo.
But approaching my 50th, I knew I wanted to have an adventure and do something memorable. I wanted to make the rest of my years count, and push myself out of my comfort zone.
I also knew that I wanted to stay active, keep my brain sharp and keep socially connected – three things that can best help prevent cognitive decline. Plus, I wanted to raise awareness and some money for Alzheimer’s Research UK, so I set up a Justgiving page, sent a message to my contacts on social media and waited for the challenges to start rolling in.
There were some fairly achievable challenges, like do 50 sit-ups a day for a week, wash everything up before bed and sign up to a dance class. And there were also extraordinary challenges, like skydiving from 15,000 feet, spending a night in a haunted house and performing three loopthe-loops in a glider. I added a caveat that I could adapt suggestions to make them more achievable and affordable, seeing as I was financing everything.
I was terrified the morning of the loop-the-loop challenge, but after I was super-emotional. My dad had loved anything to do with aviation and would have been so proud of me.
Other challenges included broadcasting a live radio show while driving a barge up the Thames, cutting someone’s hair
after drinking Prosecco, giving up smoking and a 24-hour silence.
One of my favourite challenges was appearing on TV. I was invited on Steph’s Packed Lunch and they challenged me to try skateboarding live on the show. It was nerve-racking but also hilarious – I was hopeless!
I didn’t complete all 50 challenges within the year, because my mum passed away the day before my
25th challenge and for a while I lost momentum. A friend suggested I adapt it to ‘50 Challenges in 500 days’ and I did it – not only raising over £11,000, but also gaining a welcome focus.
I’ve faced fears, learnt new skills, made new friends and laughed more than I have in a long time. So now I’m setting new goals and challenges and seeing where they take me. Life is short and none of us know how long we have left. But whether I’ve got another 15 years or 50, I want to fill them full of incredible experiences.’
✢ Shelle’s donation page is still open at justgiving.com/fundraising/ shelleluscombeofficial
‘I wanted to push myself
out of my comfort zone’