It took Raymond James two years to come to terms with his dementia diagnosis, after insisting to his wife, Cynthia, that there was nothing wrong with him.
But for Cynthia, who has been married to 85-year-old Raymond for 57 years, something hadn’t been right with her husband for some time.
After several years of watching Raymond’s memory deteriorate, Cynthia, now 81 and her husband’s carer, decided enough was enough and made a GP appointment.
‘She told me, ‘you’re not the same man I married’,’ said Raymond, who is originally from Trinidad but now lives in Fulham.
Tests revealed Raymond’s memory had indeed declined and he was formally diagnosed with dementia – something he says has changed his life, but not necessarily for the worse.
‘It’s not bad, you know. You can have a good life,’ he explained.
Working with the Alzheimer’s Society since his diagnosis, retired Raymond is busier than ever – and will be taking to the pitch at Wembley Stadium when England play Wales in a friendly on October 9 as a mascot, along with 21 other dementia patients.
It’s a moment that is sure to move supporters both at Wembley and watching at home on ITV, and Raymond says he’s brimming with excitement at the prospect.
Raymond (pictured with his wife Cynthia and their daughter and granddaughter) will join other Alzheimer’s Society mascots at the England v Wales friendly on October 9
His love of football goes back to his school days when he’d play with his friends for hours – always in goal.
‘It’s better than being up front, all that running around,’ he joked.
When he moved to the UK and lived in Shepherd’s Bush in the 1960s, he went to see Queen’s Park Rangers play a few times before moving to Fulham.
‘I thought maybe I would support Fulham, but they weren’t doing very well,’ he chuckled. ‘So I chose Chelsea.’
Since then, he has been an avid Blues fan, and took frequent trips to Stamford Bridge – until his dementia diagnosis changed things.
‘It’s the big crowds, they’re too much,’ Cynthia explained. ‘But we’re so close to Chelsea that we can tell if they’ve scored, we can hear it in the back garden!’
Raymond will make a triumphant return to a stadium on October 9 when he accompanies Thomas Tuchel’s squad out at Wembley.
After receiving his dementia diagnosis, Raymond began visiting centres which provide support and activities for people with dementia – and discovered he has a flair for drawing
It’s not the first time Raymond has worked with the Alzheimer’s Society – as he and Cynthia previously appeared on a billboard for the charity
The call up came from a Chelsea player, Reece James (whom Raymond jokes is his ‘son’ thanks to their shared surname) – an unexpected phone call, to say the least.
It’s not the first time Raymond has worked with the Alzheimer’s Society to bring about awareness of dementia.
He previously featured on a billboard for the degenerative illness – and became a mini celebrity in his community.
Although retired, Raymond has a jam-packed schedule, splitting his time between two different centres which support dementia patients four days a week.
‘For the first time in my life, I have a diary,’ Cynthia said. ‘But there’s not one appointment in it for me!’
Among the activities keeping Raymond busy at the centres are dancing and light exercise, as well as drawing.
And despite ‘not being able to draw a straight line’ when he first put pencil to paper, Raymond has discovered he’s had a hidden talent for art his whole life – and now draws extremely life-like portraits at his classes every week.
His instructor, Bridget, even collated a series of his works into a picture book, which she gave him as a birthday gift.
It’s not just people he knows who provide inspiration to Raymond – he also reimagines public figures on paper.
‘I drew Prince George and Donald Trump,’ he said, before adding his portraits had been hung up on the wall in the art room. ‘I was so proud of myself.’
Growing up in Trinidad, Raymond recalled with impeccable detail how his brother was the creative sibling and once drew a picture of an Anglican Church that was so impressive his teacher put it up in the classroom – while Raymond himself was busy saving goals on the pitch.
‘My brother was always very good [at art], but I was always playing football or doing cricket,’ he recalled.
His footballing heroes include Jimmy Greaves, Chelsea goalkeeper Peter Bonetti and more recently, David James.
While he’s not expecting to have a stint in goal at Wembley, Raymond is excited to represent the Alzheimer’s Society on the pitch and continue to raise awareness of dementia.
‘I’m nervous – I’m old now!’
Baldev Grewal may have been living with vascular dementia for a decade, but there’s one thing that always has the power to clear his mind – football.
The 86-year-old, originally from Tanzania but now living in Hayes, West London, watches his favourite sport every single day – and according to his family, it brings him great clarity.
Fixated by the action on the pitch, father-of-two Baldev is known to shout directions at players from his sofa just like any other frustrated football fan.
And next month, he’ll be a part of the action himself.
Baldev Grewal, 86, will be an England mascot on October 9 when the Three Lions take on Wales in a friendly match at Wembley Stadium
Baldev, originally from Tanzania and now living in Hayes, has been playing football all his life – and a vascular dementia diagnosis won’t stop him
Selected as an Alzheimer’s Society mascot for the England v. Wales friendly at Wembley Stadium on 9 October, Baldev will be another dementia patient to walk onto the pitch with Thomas Tuchel’s squad.
It’s an exciting opportunity for this lifelong football fan, but one that makes him ‘nervous’, in his own words, because he’s ‘old now’.
Baldev’s love of British football goes back decades when he first saw his beloved QPR play at Loftus Road in the 1960s after coming to the UK where he served for two years in the British Army from 1962-1964.
Pictured: Baldev with his secondary school football team in Tanzania, July 1957
Baldev pictured in Tanzania, in 1959, shortly before he moved to the UK
Baldev’s love of football only grew when he moved to the UK and he began to play after falling in love with Queen’s Park Rangers FC (pictured playing in London, 1962)
Baldev served in the British Army from 1962-1964 (pictured in October 1962)
In addition to being an avid fan, he played the sport all his life – even to this day.
He has recently joined Uxbridge Amblers Walking FC – a club for men over the age of 50 playing a slower-paced version of The Beautiful Game in a way that has been designed to prioritise the health and safety of the players.
It’s one of many activities that helps Baldev manage his condition as best he can – with his wife Kulwant often making sure he gets outside for walks in the fresh air and taking him on regular trips to the library.
Since Baldev’s diagnosis, his tight-knit family has become his support system – with his wife, daughters, nieces and nephews all chipping in to care for him.
And as they excitedly wait to see their favourite mascot walk onto the pitch at Wembley Stadium next month, they’re making sure it’s an incredible – and comfortable – experience for him.
‘It’ll be cold – we’ll make sure he has his winter coat!’ Kulwant joked.
To join Alzheimer’s Society and The FA and be part of the team working together to end the devastation of dementia, visit alzheimers.org.uk/joinourteam.
