Why?

In 2010 at the age of 50, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Over the past 10 years the disease has progressed and eventually I was unable to walk properly, had exhausting dyskinesia and lost my ability to talk properly. It led to humiliating situations where I was thrown out of pubs because people thought I was drunk.

In 2018 I was fortunate enough to have pioneering deep brain surgery which involved 8 neurotransmitters implanted in the centre of my brain, which are connected to a computer in my chest and controlled by a mobile device. I am indebted to Prof. Foltynie and Prof. Zirinzo and their teams for their amazing skill in improving the quality of my life.

Parkinson’s is a thief that steals functions which we take for granted and never gives them back. The disease continues to progress, but I have something to fight back with. I am still here, and I am still me. I have not been able to ride a bike for years, but because of the brain surgery I have been able to cycle again. I want to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK who are striving to find a cure and are involved in research to improve treatments and would love your support in helping achieve this goal of mine.

The Challenge

On 4^th June 2020 I will be taking on the challenge of cycling from the London Olympic stadium to the historic city of Bruges on what is sure to be demanding but hopefully enjoyable.

I will be cycling with the Parkinson’s UK team for 3 days, completing over 267km, with one aim, to support finding a cure for Parkinson’s.

I’ll be joined by 5 friends; Hamish who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 5 years ago Douglas who was diagnosed 17 years ago and his son Fraser and my school friend of 50 yearsJac and his son Daniel.

Parkinson’s UK

Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition. This means that it causes problems in the brain and gets worse over time. The number of people diagnosed with Parkinson's in the UK is about 145,000. That's around 1 adult in every 350.

Parkinson's develops when cells in the brain stop working properly and are lost over time. These brain cells produce a chemical called dopamine. Symptoms start to appear when the brain can’t make enough dopamine to control movement properly. There are 3 main symptoms - tremor, slowness of movement and rigidity, but there are many other symptoms too.

There’s currently no cure for Parkinson’s, however by supporting Parkinson’s UK you will be helping to fund research into finding better treatments and ways to improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson’s, as well as finding a cure.

Let’s help find a cure for this devastating disease!

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