Hayley Cruickshank

My First Marathon! April 2023

Fundraising for Parkinson’s UK
£1,152
raised of £1,000 target
Donations cannot currently be made to this page
Event: Virtual London Marathon 2023, on 23 April 2023
Parkinson’s UK

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RCN 258197 and Scotland SC037554
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Story

Hi Everyone! In a moment of madness, I signed up to the 2023 London Marathon. Sadly I didn't get a ballot spot but I did get a spot for the virtual London Marathon! Time to find a 26 mile route around Hertfordshire to run at the same time as all those lucky ones in London! 
 

I'm raising money for Parkinson's UK as they're a charity who are very close to my heart!
 

My lovely Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2014 and it would mean the world to me to raise as much money as possible for this amazing charity! My Dad has kindly provided a statement of what life is like living with Parkinsons which you can find further down on my page!
 

Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, and currently there is no cure. It affects around 145,000 people in the UK and every hour two more people are diagnosed. There are over 40 symptoms, from tremor and pain to anxiety.


Parkinson’s UK is the largest charitable funder of Parkinson’s research in Europe, leading the way to better treatments and a cure.

Every single penny really does go towards helping to find a cure for people just like my Dad. I'd absolutely love for a cure to be found in his lifetime & I'd love for as many of you as possible to help me fundraise towards just that! 
 

Thanks so much in advance to anyone who kindly donates, you really are amazing! 💙


Living with Parkinson’s Disease - By Ian Cruickshank

In April 2014, 9 years ago at the age of 59 I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease which was completely unexpected and was picked up during my annual company medical.

In the UK today there are over 147,000 people diagnosed with
Parkinsons Disease and worldwide there are in excess of 10 million.

There are over 45 side effects of Parkinsons Disease and no
two people suffer the same. The main symptoms of Parkinsons for me personally are tremors in the hands and fingers, stiffness of joints and movement which is becoming
slow and laboured. These 3 main symptoms are further complicated by a host of side effects which make daily life very frustrating. If it wasn’t for a cocktail of tablets, that I have to take every day, then life really would not be worth living because you feel completely helpless. I suffer with tremors to my left hand which is controlled by daily medication as without this, I would find much difficulty carrying a cup without significantly spilling the contents. I get tremors in my arms, as well as tremors in my legs which is like watching somebody who is desperate to go to the toilet. My legs jingle up and down continuously. Joint stiffness and slow movements effect my manual dexterity in the right side of my body. My finer motor control skills are reduced which prevents me from being
able to use a fork and knife at meal times, meaning my wife has to cut up my food. I have impaired sense of taste and smell which can be frustrating and risky, particularly if we encounter a gas leak or electrical faults.

 I suffer the side effect REM (Rapid Eye Movement) which is where my brain and body do not disconnect when I go to sleep so I act out my dreams. I am unaware of my actions whilst in the state of REM and likewise have no recollection of any dreams or my actions upon waking. I tend to shout out, scream, kick, punch whilst asleep. In the early stages of REM, I regularly fell out of bed because of these movements and on a couple of occasions cut my nose and cheek by hitting face on bedside furniture. I now have a full-size NHS metal bed guard that helps to prevent me from causing injury to myself. I take sleeping tablets to calm me down prior to going to sleep to try to help limit these symptoms.

I also suffer with insomnia caused by Parkinsons Disease and
despite taking sleeping tablets I can go to bed at 10pm after taking the medication and within two to three hours it has worn off and I end up awake from around 1-5am. This happens 3-4 nights a week.

 I have accepted that I have Parkinson’s and know that I can’t change it but have had to find ways to change how I react to it and how to live daily with this condition. My biggest consequence of having Parkinsons Disease meant that I was unable to maintain working in the construction industry due to risks that go with working on live construction projects, so I retired early at the end of July 2019 age 64.

Nobody knows when this horrible progressive and degenerative disease will strike and as of today there is no known cure.

Having Parkinson’s and not knowing how rapidly the condition will progress from early stages is like living with a ticking time bomb never knowing when the bomb will explode and how soon the condition may progress to advanced stages.

Researchers at Dundee University have recently discovered a molecule that has properties that help eliminate this disease-causing protein. This approach is making the treatment
of diseases previously thought to be untreatable, a reality. This will reduce side effects and slow down the progression of Parkinsons Disease. Donations to Parkinsons UK help fund this vital research.

Now more than ever, more funds for research are required and although over the last three years we have all gone through some testing times, I personally ask you to dig a little bit deeper in to your pockets to find a way to make a donation to my daughter Hayley, by going to her Just Giving page. Even if it is only some pennies and not pounds it will still be gratefully received and put to use in further research to find that urgently
wanted CURE for Parkinson’s Disease.

I thank you in advance for your help and generosity as it will be appreciated by thousands of Parkinson’s Disease sufferers,
including myself.

Thank you for your time.

   IJA Cruickshank              

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About the charity

Parkinson’s UK

Verified by JustGiving

RCN 258197 and Scotland SC037554
Anyone can get Parkinson’s. It gets worse over time and there’s no cure. Yet. Funding research into the most promising treatments, we’re getting closer to a cure. Until then, we're improving life for people with Parkinson’s, and the people in their lives. Together we'll find a cure.

Donation summary

Total raised
£1,151.20
+ £222.85 Gift Aid
Online donations
£1,151.20
Offline donations
£0.00

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