For those who don’t know me, my name is Simone Taylor, I’m 26 years old and currently serving in the Royal Navy. I am 1 of 4 siblings, all girls, and an auntie to three amazing nephews. Next April I will be running the London Marathon for Parkinson’s UK. 

In 2021, our dad: Stephen Taylor (Sid), was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition. This means that it causes problems in the brain and gets worse overtime. 

Majority of people who have Parkinson’s disease are over the age of 60, and because of that, the disease is often overlooked in younger people, leading many to go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for extended periods of time. We pushed for dad to seek GP treatment and with medication and physical activity we are hopeful the disease’s progression will be much slower.

Throughout my life me and my dad have always been strongly connected through our love of sport, especially football. From a young age he began his goalkeeping journey, to then retire and become the local football team manager. My dad played for over 8 football teams within Cornwall and managed Helston AFC for 7 years. Alongside the love of football, he had a career as a postman. Being so socially active within his job and lifestyle naturally made him well known in our local town and surrounding villages. My dads diagnosis was a huge shock to us as a family and has become a hard story to tell friends and the local community. 

To date, there is no known cure or anyway to prevent Parkinson’s disease. However, research is ongoing and remarkable progress is being made. There is real hope that the causes, whether genetic, environmental, or some combination of the two, will soon be identified and the precise effects of these causes on brain function will be understood.

My dads diagnosis was the push I needed to enter the London marathon, and I am so lucky to have been offered a place running for Parkinson’s UK. The money I raise for the marathon will go towards finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease. Thank you all so much for your generous donations, every little bit counts.