<p>In September 2013, I'm going to be <strong>trekking the Great Wall of China</strong>. This has always been a lifetime goal of mine, and thus will be an <strong>amazing personal achievement</strong>. To have the opportunity to do so whilst <strong>raising money for a very worthy charity</strong> gives me great incentive and encouragement to raise as much as is possible.<br><br>My <strong>mother was diagnosed with Parkinson's </strong>in 2003. Since then, it has negatively affected her day-to-day life in many ways. Her main symptoms include rigidity, slowness of movement, and slurred speech. As her Parkinson's continues to progress, so does her ever-increasing need for care and support.<br><br>Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition. One person in every 500 has Parkinson's. That's about <strong>127,000 Parkinson's sufferers in the UK</strong>. Every hour, someone in the UK is told they have Parkinson's.There is currently no cure for Parkinson's.<br><br>This is <strong>not a site-seeing trip </strong>of China; it will require a rigorous eight-hour trek each day, where I will be required to lug around a heavy backpack in all manner of weather conditions. In order to increase my fitness levels to deal with this exhilarating challenge, I will be embracing a <strong>strict training regime </strong>with the help and support of both the staff at my local gym and my friends.</p> <p>Despite the intense training required, I am really excited about the trek, and really looking forward to organising fundraising events to raise as much money as possible for <strong>Parkinson's UK</strong>. With the <strong>generous help</strong> of my employer, colleagues, family and friends, I am confident that I will <strong>more than meet my target</strong>.</p> <p>I'd like to thank everyone who is supporting me through this; not only monetarily, but also on a personal level.</p> <p>- Helen x</p>