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2 years after he became my stepfather Derek was diagnosed with Parkinsons at the relatively young age of 55. He managed to continue with his career for 4 years while he and my mum brought up 4 teenagers but had to give up work in 2005 as his condition worsened. By 2008 he was practically housebound and in constant pain. In 2013 he was diagnosed with Parkinson's-related dementia which resulted in hallucinations, memory loss and severe panic attacks.  By 2014 he required full-time professional care. He lapsed into unconsciousness, surrounded by our family, and died on 25th October 2016, 2 days before I heard that I'd been accepted to run.

He bore his illness with dignity and patience but Parkinsons destroyed everything he enjoyed about life. Previously  he had been a keen athlete, enjoying football, squash, ski-ing, mountain-walking and swimming. He loved everything French, (especially the wine). Most of all he loved his family. It was a great sadness to him that he couldn't even walk his daughters down the aisle on their wedding days. 

1 person in every 500 has Parkinsons that equates to around 127,000 people in the UK. 

Please donate what you can afford so that we can develop better treatments and hopefully a cure for Parkinsons in years not decades. 

Thanks for your generosity, your support is greatly appreciated by my family, myself and anyone who is affected by Parkinsons.

Please remember to click Gift Aid if applicable.

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