Whether you're visiting this page to donate or just to find out more about why I'm running this year’s Hackney Half to raise money and awareness for Parkinson's UK, thank you. 

When my mum was diagnosed with Parkinson's 10 years ago next week (2nd May 2008 is a day I'll never forget) the first thing I felt was sheer panic, the prognosis was grim and she was going to die. I've learnt a lot about Parkinson's in that decade, and now the thought of my initial reaction makes me laugh. But I was uneducated, I didn't really know ANYTHING about the disease. I probably would have been able to associate it with a tremor and elderly people. Well in fact, my mum isn't old  and rarely has a tremor. 

I could list all of the things I do now associate with my Mum's Parkinson's - but we'd be here for a while, and it would be a pretty tedious list. Plus it changes everyday. The pesky disease throws a curveball in her direction far too often, just when you think you can predict what your day is going to look like and the obstacles you'll encounter, not to mention the hacks to get around them, something new comes to join the party. It's not just the Parkinson's itself, but the cruel side effects of the many medications and the way all of the above effect your ability to manage more mundane health hiccups - try stopping a nose bleed when you're lacking the strength and coordination in your hands to pinch your nose.

That's just my Mum. When I find out someone else I know has been diagnosed, I can't help but wonder what the journey will be for them and their family. I don't doubt for one moment that it will be enitirely different to ours. 

Anyway, so what's my point? Well first of all Parkinson's sucks. But really, my point is, if we all just knew a little bit more about the many ways this disease can impact an individual's ability to carry out everyday activities, that's just a little bit more we can do to lessen that impact. Whether you're the next person in the queue at the checkout who will have the patience to wait calmly so that a person with Parkinson's doesn't feel rushed to pack their bags, or a friend who will notice if you need a bit of help cutting up food when you're out for lunch, it could change that person's day, for the better.  

The only way we can fully understand Parkinson's, is to live with it and from what I've seen, that ain't too desirable. What is desirable, is the hard core resilience and pure dignity that I see in my mum everyday as she navigates her way through a life with PD (which I'll be reminding myself of every time I feel like slowing down in the half). Let's try to understand as much as we can through the resources we have and the people we know. It will make a difference. 

So please, I ask two things;

1. visit https://www.parkinsons.org.uk and learn something new about PD.

2. Spare a little bit of money for this fantastic charity so they can keep doing what they're doing to change the lives of people with Parkinson's.

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.