Bill's Cycle for Parkinson's UK...

...and a final, I promise, final word 'pour encourager les autres...' and that's to Jimmy Jennings, an old buddy of mine who has suffered from the most debilitating disease of all: MSA... Multiple System Atrophy...the most galling thing of all for him must be the fact that he must spend the rest of his days confined to  a wheechair and this for what was once a young, fit and healthy guy must be the unkindest cut of all...he sent me the following words of encouragement:-

'How's things with you? still scooting around as usual, If remember when ever you are up this way drop in  I'll be pleased to see you if  you chuck  a case of a full bodied red in your boot I'll buy it off you. Give my  regards to the lads at the next lunch and congratulate  Bill Collins on his stirling effort in the charity bike ride in aid of Parkinson's disease...'

...which really does make all that I attempt to do really worthwhile...This wil be the very last email you'll receive from me, promise...
 
....as Quasimodo might have said, '...it all started with a  cyst, Esmeralda my dear...as a tiny germ of an idea many, many moons ago...Or, as a good friend of mine once said, whilst lying on his back looking up at the stars, somewhere in the Middle East, '...it's the enormity of it all which is so astounding...' and it was, for me at least, an enormous task, which when one reflects on in the cold light of day, really pales into insignificance when set beside that which the true heroes and heroines of my ride have to face up to every day of their lives...

...for those of you who may wish to follow my to-ings and fro-ings I've left a door ajar in case you may wish to take a peek at what goes on in my head, not much, since it's full of custard ;0))...follow my blog at:-

          http://bo-collins.blogspot.com/

..ps1...I intend to keep this completed page open for the full three months past the event date, it should be closed automatically by Justgiving.com arround the middle of August...


All the very best to you and yours...

Bill Collins...

Factomania:-          1. There are 120,000 people with Parkinson's in the UK...there is no known cure...

          2, The symptoms are: Tremor, slowness of movement and stiffness or rigidity of muscles...

          3. Parkinson's UK is entirely funded by voluntary donations...

          4. Where your money goes: Research...information supply and distribution, advice...a freephone helpline:

              0808 800 0303 staffed by nurses and specialist advisors...

          5. Education to health and social care professionals to increase their understanding of this complex condition...

          6. £2 covers the cost of sending out a DVD of 'Being There' to newly diagnosed Parkinsonians...£12 will enable  a support worker to give information on benefits...£15 will allow a Parkinson's Disease Nurse Specialist to spend an hour working with a sufferer...£25 will pay for a PDS nurse to take calls for one hour...£150 will pay for a Parkinson's Disease Nurse Specialist for a day...£1000 will fund a cutting edge research project into PD for a week...

          7. On the positive side, most sufferers will not die of PD, that is, not unless they take up tree-logging with a chainsaw ;0))