Barcelona!

Last year, we were invited by Roche Pharmaceuticals to Lucerne, Switzerland.  Here, we delivered a talk to some of the staff as well as many from the organisation across the world who tuned in online.  It was clear that we did something right as we were invited to Barcelona to speak at a NeuRoSymosium.  

It was a hard decision to make (gentle irony) but Peter, Teresa and I agreed to go.  An early start last Thursday to Heathrow, a flight to Barcelona, a taxi ride to our hotel and we were good to go. 

Peter and I were honoured to deliver the opening address  to delegates, which comprised a range of Roche staff and a posse of physicians. The meeting focused very much on the benefits of early diagnosis, research and the power of knowing but Roche also asked if Peter would talk about his own lived experience.  We were given a forty five minute slot and Peter - as always - spoke powerfully on the subject.  Any talk we deliver will include the friendship between us.  This friendship is special and I hope that those present at the symposium were given a glimpse into this relationship, how we live very much in the present and the power of social connections.

From the feedback we received throughout the day, I think it was apparent that we made a considerable impact.  Some of the quotes from delegates appeared on LinkedIn (anonymised):

I had the opportunity to listen Peter Berry and Deb Bunt talk about living with dementia, at a neuro-event in Barcelona on blood based biomarkers for better diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.  Peters story clearly illustrates that there is plenty of room for improvement.

I can strongly recommend the book “Slow puncture” by Pete and Deb on how to live with dementia.  Peters story makes me both laugh and cry but most of all, makes me appreciate the good things in life.

Thank you so much to both of you for your touching opening address! It was not only eye-opening, but also an amazing call to action to actively shape the environment for people living with Alzheimer’s ("...you will have to change your colors when filling in their new environment" *). There were numerous messages that really stuck with me & they will continue to resonate and remind me why we do what we do.

*paraphrased

(from Roche) We were glad to have you, Deb! It is stories like yours and Peter's that remind us why we do what we do

It was also a great opportunity for Teresa who walked around Barcelona and explored some of the key sights.  Post talk, all three of us wandered down to the beach where we enjoyed some wonderful sunshine and a drink.

I can’t stress enough how well we were looked after by everyone with whom we came into contact.  A special thanks to Sandra who looked after us exemplarily - I did rather like the backdrop she put together with both of our books displayed.

These talks provide a great opportunity to continue to network and, as Peter's name becomes even more widely recognised, I suspect more invitations will follow. If only the talks could coincide with Arsenal's fixture list (I had to miss the Everton match because we were flying home) but that's my only gripe!