For those of you who don't know, after 30something years in the Army (Royal Signals) my dad, Lee Brown, retired and was looking forward to his retirement. He set up his own driving school and was going to spend time messing about on his beloved bikes. Last year he was diagnosed with Parkinsons so in September I am doing the Adidas Womens 5k Challenge to raise funds for Parkinsons UK.  I had this big blog all prepared but I decided you'd all be better hearing this from the horses mouth, this is an article dad wrote earlier this year and it was published by RoSPA....

Funny old thing says I, my arm shakes for no reason! Not so said the Professor, you have Parkinson’s says he. You’re not going to die from it says he, but you will die with it. Brain scan to confirm follows. Confirm that I have Parkinson’s that is, not that I have a brain! It took 30 minutes in total, 25 of them were to find my brain and five minutes to look for Parkinson’s. 3rd June 2009 it is officially confirmed by the professor, I have Parkinson’s. Then comes the self pity followed by the anger. Eventually comes acceptance of sorts and then the frustration of living with the condition. I dislike the term Disease, it implies to some people that it’s catching. I also have the indignity of people speaking a little slower than normal just to make sure I understand that I have their sympathy. I get tired of explaining that I have not lost any faculties and it’s not sympathy that I need, its support. I’m 62 and retired from the Army four years ago after 36 years of service, so you will understand when I tell you it has hit me hard. I can only guess that it hits all sufferers hard too, but I’m only in a position to speak for myself. 

I think I should explain at this point that I am a Driver Trainer. I inform the Driving Standards Agency under whose authority I instruct, not a problem to them. I inform my motor insurers, not a problem to them. I inform The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) Fleet - Corporate Driver Training, and they give me a two week break from training to get myself together and then throw me back in the deep end. I inform AA Drive Tech Ltd - Speed Awareness and Driver Improvement Scheme. They also gave me their support. Then I informed DVLA. From there things take a nosedive. They take my Van (C1) and Minibus(D1) category off my licence and now insist that I take a driving assessment to keep my car licence. They have had reports from my consultant and I have had a detailed medical, still they want more. Oh, I didn’t I tell you, I took the RoSPA Advanced Driving Test for the first time in September 2009 and obtained a Gold Grading. Why did I take the test? Primarily to prove to myself that I had the ability, but also to show any doubters that I could do it and that my condition doesn’t affect my ability to drive to a high standard. I included a copy of my Advanced Test Report with my appeal to DVLA. It obviously counts for nothing. I am continuing my appeal against their decision with the full support of my GP, Consultant, IAM Fleet and RoSPA. The process started in June last year and is still ongoing. You will have gathered by now that, since my diagnosis, there is one thing that really makes me bitter. The attitude of DVLA. 

Since my advanced test I have been assessed and accepted as a RoSPA Trainer. I can now give something back to the group in return for the support that they have given to me. I also hope I get the opportunity to give people with Parkinson’s, and other similar conditions, the chance to prove their ability as a driver. Notice I didn’t use the term “Disabled”. We are people who sometimes have limitations. 

What impact has Parkinson’s had on my work? NONE! I did have to give up on teaching the Learner Drivers. Not because I couldn’t do it. It was because “The Shakes” un-nerved the students. I still work as a Fleet Trainer and as a presenter for AA Drive Tech Ltd on Speed Awareness Courses. I explain at the start that I have Parkinson’s and that my arm shaking doesn’t mean that they are making me nervous. Well, not every time anyway. This is always accepted. It is pointless trying to hide the fact that I HAVE PARKINSON’S. There is nothing I can do about it, it’s not my fault that I have it, it’s not going to go away and the symptoms will not get better. They will probably get worse over time although drugs do help to control them. I must therefore get on with my life and prove any doubters wrong, including the DVLA. 

Above all else I must not lose sight of the fact that the time will come when I must hand in my licence. The motorbike has already gone due to Parkinson‘s (my decision). I hope I’m good to drive four wheeled vehicles for the next 20 years and I intend to continuing working for the next three years although, if I am still able, I will continue what I am doing beyond 65. The important thing is that I must be honest with myself for the sake of all other road users. At sometime in the future, I will have to make the decision to give up driving altogether. This comes to us all whether we have Parkinson’s or just grow old. I have the advantage of having a number of organisations to call upon to assess me. I will probably use them all because I think it will be a hard decision to make. In all seriousness, we will all reach a time in life when we must “Give In” and we shouldn’t feel embarrassed to call upon the IAM or RoSPA to give an assessment of our ability to continue driving. I would hope that RoSPA will provide this service. It is important that this is on a confidential basis with honest advice given that will enable the candidate to make the decision for themselves. However, no punches must be pulled. If it is considered that the candidate is a danger to themselves and other road users they MUST be told in simple terms. The hardest thing for all of us will be accepting that we are no longer safe to drive. But we must all remember, “Pride comes before a fall” and the fall could be catastrophic!

One thing I have had to give up is texting on the old mobile. I’ve found I tend to stutter a lot these days.

The final word. I still have my AFTERS “I still get Angry, then Frustration sets in, then Tears, Emotional fatigue, Resentment and then Surrender of sorts”. I don’t believe that any of us with Parkinson’s ever totally accepts the condition but we do have to get along with it!

Lee Brown

Since writing this article Dad has had his full licence returned after a long battle with the DVLA.

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