My story

Now I've learned how to live with Parkinson’s

The only way is up ... Gavin Hastings, left, is joining climb with our Jen, right, to help wife Diane, centre
The only way is up ... Gavin Hastings is joining the climb with our Jen right, to help wife Diane

The mum of two was diagnosed with Parkinson's aged just 39. She tells YVONNE BOLOURI how her life has changed since her diagnosis.

 

To an onlooker, Diane Hastings has a charmed life.

But eight years ago Diane was diagnosed with the degenerative brain disorder Parkinson's disease.

She was only 39 years old and the news came as a devastating blow to the family.

Disbelief, anger, tears and depression rocked her to the core.

But resilient Diane did what she knows best — she got on with life.

Now 47, she controls her symptoms with medication and is firmly in control.

Diane was referred for tests and scans at Edinburgh's Western General Hospital. Parkinson's was diagnosed straight away.

She said: "I was gobsmacked. I thought Parkinson's only happened to old people. I was 39.

"At the time Gavin was in Australia at the 2003 Rugby World Cup. I had to phone him with the news. It was not a good time.

But she said: "I didn't know much about Parkinson's so I looked on websites and to be honest, they go into too much detail and aren't very positive.

"So I stopped that. Of course I cried and I had my black moments.

"It took a few weeks to sink in but by the time Gavin was due home, I had my head round it.

" I realised this was the card I'd been dealt, and there was nothing I could do about it."

"Medication made me feel completely well. The stiffness improved, my energy levels went up and I realised that living with Parkinson's isn't a death sentence."

"When you have something like Parkinson's private healthcare won't cover you but my NHS treatment has been superb.

"My doctor and consultant are just an email away if I need help, and the neurologist is the same one I had when I was in private healthcare."

"I look after myself, watch what I eat and we've now got two dogs so I exercise them for an hour every morning. I'd never have done that before, but now, when I miss a morning, I really miss the benefits.

She said: "I'm extremely proud of Gavin and the kids. Gavin is going to be 50 in January so we're planning something special.

"He's climbing Kilimanjaro to raise funds for the Funding Neuro charity. We met the founder Bryn Williams, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's when he was 36, through a mutual friend, so Gavin does a lot of fundraising for Wobbly Williams.

"When Gavin's away, we usually Skype but I don't think he'll be able to do that on the top of a mountain!"

Diane understands the devastation of a Parkinson's diagnosis but insists there is hope.

She advised: "Accept it, take the medication and enjoy your life.

"Of course, I'd rather not have it, but things could be a whole lot worse."

My gallery 9

My Teams

My company

My charity

Funding Neuro

Funding Neuro

Charity Registration No. SC042061

Funding Neuro funds research that will lead to treaments and cures for neurological conditions. We do this by bringing researchers in all fields and patients of all disorders together to share ideas and to deliver results.

Donations 342

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Good luck Gavin!

Donation by Mike Martin on 16/12/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

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Make sure you take plenty of talcom powder in case the scrapes kick in at 2000 feet....good luck mate.....Steve, Nicola, Thea, Evie & Coco

Donation by Stephen Pengelly on 16/12/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

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Good luck Gav...Fantastic effort and look forward to a post climb beer. Happy Christmas to you and Diane...Cheers Jim

Donation by Jim Glover on 16/12/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

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Well done and best wishes to Gavin and Diane from Jeremy ,Jane and the boys

Donation by Jeremy Richardson on 16/12/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

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All the best with the climb Gavin. Love to Diane.x

Donation by The Laidlaws on 16/12/11

£50.00

+ £12.50 Gift Aid

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Go well Big Man! You need a ball for photo at summit! Best Friendo x

Donation by michael friend on 16/12/11

£150.00

+ £37.50 Gift Aid

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Good luck with this.Lesson we learned from this climb last year was keep your ascent clothes zip locked and dry!

Donation by Ainsley Mann on 16/12/11

£500.00

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Good luck with the fundraising!

Donation by Anon on 15/12/11

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Gavin, good for you and for such a worthy cause. Best wishes. Douglas Connon

Donation by Douglas Connon on 15/12/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

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Good Luck Big Gav, we will look after Diane when you are gone.

Donation by John and Margaret Gibson on 15/12/11

£100.00

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All the best. Can't be any easier than 72 holes in 1 day! Great cause.

Donation by Ali Asher on 15/12/11

£50.00

+ £12.50 Gift Aid

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Take lots of baby wipes, black bin bags (for smelly clothes) and reams of Kleenex, and you'll be fine!! All the best, Hoover

Donation by Peter Higgins on 15/12/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

Donation by Angus Pelham Burn on 15/12/11

£25.00

+ £6.25 Gift Aid

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All the very best of luck .

Donation by Hugo and Janey Haig on 15/12/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

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THERE'S A GREAT PUB AT THE TOP ! GOOD LUCK. JOHN RUD

Donation by JOHN RUTHERFORD on 15/12/11

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Good luck and I hope the view is fab from the top

Donation by panny laing on 14/12/11

£20.00

+ £5.00 Gift Aid

Great Cause, Great Family!. Give us a wave from the top! Happy Birthday and Lots of love from Robin, Claire, Harry, Cara, Anna & Jack

Donation by claire maitland on 13/12/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

Donation summary

  • * Online donations$52,991.08
  • Offline donations$13,798.04
  • Text donations$0.00
  • Total raised$66,789.12
  • Gift Aid$9,077.50

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