Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

In 2016 I was diagnosed with  Parkinson‘s disease at aged 47, although I had been symptomatic since 2011.  It took years to receive an official diagnosis and this is why I am raising funds. I want to help researchers establish ways of definitively diagnosing and to find a cure.

My main symptom is pain, which makes impact exercise impossible, therefore, I would never be able to run a marathon so I thought, ‘I wonder if I could skate one?’ It might take a while but I’ll certainly give it my best shot. I also want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the other sk8er-friends who are going to do this with me. Whether you are supporting this charity, your own charity or simply for fun, you are all amazing and I am truly thankful.

What is Parkinson’s Disease? It is a progressive condition where there is currently no cure and the medication has not changed in over 50 years!  PD is caused by a lack of nerve cells in the brain; leading to a reduction in dopamine which controls movement - everything from walking to talking and even smiling.

What were my symptoms?  It is a very complex condition where no two people are the same.  All my symptoms affect the right hand side of my body.  I experience nerve pain in my hip and down my thigh; stiffness, slowness and general soreness; my leg stride has shortened and the foot can skiff the ground when walking.  My leg literally feels like a log and my foot 10 tonne.  My right arm does not swing and there is loss of power in my right hand and leg. I find fine motor skills difficult at times. I seem to survive on 4 hours sleep, my balance is a little off; my speech can be slurred and I can be very forgetful (although, they say that age doesn’t come easy!) I have a tremor which  becomes more exacerbated when cold or under pressure (just don’t ask me to bring you a hot cuppa in a hurry!)   Most of my symptoms are motor but there are many more non-motor and more information can be found on the Parkinson's UK website.

What helps me?  I have completely improved my quality of life through the powers of exercise and most of my symptoms are helped by my medication but, although, I look ok on the outside, I am fighting an internal battle.  I have learned to adapt and mask the symptoms but the only thing with Parkinson’s is that I don’t know how much time I have left and how quickly it is going to progress and this is why I want to raise money for the charity that is there to help me.

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