My Dad, “Stephen” (or Harold as he’s more commonly known), was diagnosed with Idiopathic Parkinson’s almost 6 years ago, and Prostate Cancer many years before that. Since this time, his health and general wellbeing has declined dramatically as is the case with all Parkinson’s sufferers, and is now a fulltime resident at Old Roselyon Nursing Home in Par. 

In early 2016 my Dad began showing the typical signs of Parkinsons, with trembling and problems with balance. The knock-on effect of which was decreased mobility, and an increasingly low level of self-esteem. Living on his own my Dad became increasingly reliant on family. Myself and my 2 brothers (Shaun and Jamie), found ourselves being called on a daily basis, as Dad had either fallen or needed help cooking or even turning on the TV. It wasn’t until later in 2016 that Dad’s speech began getting worse, which only added to the frustration of not being able to do things for himself. In early 2017, Dad had a turn in the night which was thought to be a small stroke, as a precaution he was admitted to Hospital, where he stayed for around 2 months, unable to return home. Whilst in Hospital various tests were carried out, and he was further diagnosed with Dementia. He was then admitted to Old Roselyon Nursing Home, where he now required full-time nursing care. The frustrations with Dad are ongoing, as he now finds swallowing difficult and for a short period was not able to eat hard food.

Seeing the slow decline of Dad since his first diagnosis has been hard, but by far the worst part for me was at Christmas of 2018 when giving Dad his Christmas present. It was only by looking at the tag, that Dad knew who I was.

In the 6 years since my Dad was first diagnosed, he has gone from a man who used to ride his pushbike to the local Hospice to volunteer, and look after end of life patients. To a man who now requires full-time nursing care, and in his words “the tables have turned”.
This sudden turn of events got me thinking, and if I’m honest quite upset. I’d looked up to this man all my life, and now he doesn’t know me. I found it hard to come to terms with, but I wanted to help.

I’m turning 30 in September 2021, and thought now’s the time to make a difference, to future families. I have done several charity events over the past few years, raising money for charities who have helped Dad, whether directly or indirectly. I want to get my total raised for various charities to £30,000 for my 30th birthday, which leads me onto my pledge to Parkinson’s UK.
My plan is to raise £26,000 and walk a cheque, over 12 days from my Dad’s nursing home in Par, to the Parkinson’s UK office in London, a journey of around 238 miles. Working in an office full-time I’m in no way athletic, nor have I ever attempted a challenge of this magnitude before. I’ve already started a keen training program with my local gym and have a number of training weekends planned over the coming months. I have already spoken to a few friends who are willing to take time off work and support during the actual event itself.