Story
In 2007 my dad was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease. Being only 8 years old at the time, I don’t remember him telling me about his condition and I only started to understand what it really meant around 5 years later when I was about 13.
For those who don’t know, Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition in which the nerve cells that producechemical dopamine have died. This means that it causes problems in the brain and gets worse over time. It affects physical movement, often causing a tremor, slowness of movement and muscle stiffness. The number of people diagnosed with Parkinson's in the UK is about 145,000 - that's around 1 adult in every 350. There's currently no cure for Parkinson's, but there are lots of different treatments, therapies and support available to help manage the condition, thanks to charities like Parkinson’s UK.
Growing up with a dad who suffers from Parkinson’s is
difficult for all the family and Parkinson’s UK really can help in supporting both sufferers and carers in many ways. Since my dad was diagnosed, both him and my mum have shown tremendous strength that I see every day, which is why I am going to run the Exeter Half Marathon on the 10th February 2019 in aid of Parkinson’s UK so the charity can continue supporting families and funding research to improve treatment and, hopefully, find a cure.