When my father told me that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's, I will admit, I didn't know a whole lot about the disease. I thought it was primarily a limitation of motor functions. A nuisance, yes, but not fatal in itself - "At least it's not cancer."

I had no concept then of just how much this disease would impact his life - our lives. For nearly ten years, my mother and I watched him waste away, struggle and become less and less himself with every passing day.  I understand now that Parkinson's patients may suffer of any combination of over 40 possible symptoms, making the course of the illness hard to anticipate - and making it harder to treat effectively. He saw numerous specialists over the years, but still the course of his illness seemed mostly unpredictable and medications never fully addressed his countless ailments.

My father died on 13 February 2023. 

Despite suffering of Parkinson's for nearly a decade, his death was so sudden, it came as a surprise even to the medical professionals looking after him. His death, like the suffering that preceded it, left me feeling angry and helpless. One thing that has always helped me deal with emotions like these has been running. I've never been a particularly strong runner, but I have often been thankful to be able to put my trainers on and go for a run as a way to get perspective on and physical distance from what I was dealing with. 

A few days before he passed away, I signed up to the Hackney Half on a whim. My first half marathon. When I signed up, I was more than a little intimidated by the distance and, truth be told, kept in mind the option of dropping out before the race. But my father's passing, a few days later, seemed like a sign to run the race in his memory and to use it as an impulse to raise awareness and funds for the amazing work of Parkinson's UK. After what my family has been through, I feel strongly that we should be able to do better, know more, medicate more effectively and find a better way of slowing down the course of neuro-degenerative illnesses like Parkinson's. 

So if all you do after reading this is to go online to read more about the disease, for instance on www.parkinsons.org.uk/information-and-support/what-parkinsons, thank you! If you are able to do a little more, please consider donating to this cause. Your money will help Parkinson's UK do even more to help affected families now and in the future. The goal I've set for my fundraiser is ambitious but £1000 would fund a cutting-edge research project for a week and this is what will slowly help us shift the dial in tackling this horrible disease.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. Donating through JustGiving is simple and totally secure. JustGiving will keep your data safe and won't send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to Parkinson's UK.