My Dad Means the World to Me

For those that sponsored me in the Race for Life event, don't worry, you're off the hook. But  feel free to share this because this cause hits me where I live, right in my heart. 

Eight years ago, my dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's.  All I knew was it makes you shaky and that Michael j. Fox has it too. I was extremely mis-informed.

Parkinson's takes over your life. It is a destroyer of worlds and breaker of hearts and dreams.  One day you're planning your golden years and the next day you're swallowing a handful of tablets three times a day just to maintain some sense of normal.  Then, even with the right medications, you still struggle. Medications make you sick, you still take them.  You take them because you have no choice. 

Since my dad's diagnosis, he's lost the ability to write, he has serious trouble typing one word and on bad days, even speaking is difficult to do.  Soon, my father recently told me, he is going to give up driving his car. The fact is, that he rarely drives it now.  It wasn't hard to see, this feels like yet another piece of his autonomy being stripped away.  

Of all the stressors, worries and frustrations in my life, Parkinson's is the thing that brings the most concern, anger and sadness. Sadness for what it has taken from my dad, and for the pieces of my dad that it is taking away from me and my family.

This year I made a promise to myself to walk the talk.  I chose to do Race for Life in honour of a family friend who recently lost his battle and for the many people I've lost to cancer over the years and I swore that if Parkinson's UK did a walk, run or skip, I'd do that too.  I decided that from now on, I would actually BE THE CHANGE and not just talk about it.  This year, I will act on my thoughts, I will put the good intentions to work with good actions.

If everyone reading this gave up a dollar, pound or euro, this goal would be easy to achieve. If you can't donate, I completely understand.  Times are tight for certain. Feel free to share my page. You don't have to live in the UK to sponsor me. Oh and I genuinely mean it when I say, to everyone who supported me in Race for Life, you've done more than I ever expected, please don't feel you have to sponsor me in this event as well.  In fact, I owe you all a drink and a big hug along with my heartfelt thanks and undying gratitude.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.