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Life brings many welcome surprises and some, like Parkinson’s Disease which are not so good and take all our ingenuity and wisdom to  make the best of the rest of our days.  Pd is a dismal degenerative illness making life tough for all involved and it was not in my plan. But to our amazement the 4 years since diagnosis have brought friends fun, laughter and fitness too. Why ?  I discovered Wobbly Bryn Williams and have been busy ever since. I try to face PD with exercise, hope and by finding the sometimes black, often ironic or even slapstick funny side of my life.  The whole of my family-friend tribe has worked, walked or donated to assist in the search for a cure.  They are desperate for me to wear out or need a good rest so they can relax too.  I shocked myself and them when I agreed to join Bryn on his attempt to climb Kilimanjaro. Many thought I signed up just for the endless shopping for kit.  They do have good reason!  But this wasn't true at all and having now seen Kilimanjaro - no amount of shopping is reward for what it takes to reach the top! Chris knows my limitations so although we hoped to go high our aim was not as ambitious as the other Wobblies and we aimed for Kibo but not the top. We walked and walked but then threw another custard pie and it landed on me.   One Autumn afternoon, on a French mountain, we took a scenic detour (no path) OOOhh noo!  I slid and slid, damaging my knee.  An operation followed. All this took time and reduced training.  Nevertheless with considered medical advice we did our best. Indeed the team spirit was so powerful that we thought we might make it to Kibo but it was not to be. We were forced to retire having spent 3 painful days on Kilimanjaro and discovering that when we gave up camping some 30 years ago there was a good reason for it.   But 27 others made it to the summit.  Awesome.  Nikki and David and Bryn tooktokens from me which made it even though I didn't.  It was the hardest thing they had ever done and I am so so proud of them. The group pulled together cried and laughed together and won the respect of the mountain guides.  During a journey home lasting some 28 hours I have pondered the amazing the sad and the frightening bits of our latest adventure. It was a challenge that proved too much for me and my now famous "bad knee" and this meant I faced the surprisingly difficult challenge of accepting the wisdom of a considered retreat. I coped because I am  humbled by the strength and courage of Team Wobbly.   I was and am simply  proud to be included at all.  They are amazing!  PLEASE SUPPORT US and make a gift to help in the search for a way to deliver healing drugs to the parts of the the brain which need treatment.  Funding Neuro seeks to develop a means of passing the blood brain barrier and when a system is found it will assist many with illnesses such as Parkinson’s, Motor Neurone, MS stroke and brain tumours. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity. So please dig deep and donate now.

Liz & Chris climb the Big One

Liz & Chris climb the Big One

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