Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page and reading my story. I wanted to take this chance to let you know a bit about what my family and I have been through and about my Mum.

My Mum, Susan Wake, married my Dad, Desmond Wake, in 1960 and had two children, myself and Peter. She also had 4 grandchildren but she never had the opportunity to get to know two of them. My Mum was an outgoing and fun person who loved socialising, going on cruises and most importantly taking care of her family but this all changed.

When Mum was around 50 in 1990 she started to change and we noticed that something was not right. It was not until 1994 she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Over the next few years her conditioned worsened and her ability to care for herself deteriorated. At the time I was living in Hereford with my husband and two daughters and would spend every weekend coming back to Andover to help my Dad care for my Mum. In 2002 we moved in with my parents permanently in order to properly care for my Mum and help my Dad keep the house together.

Over the next 7 years my Mum disappeared before our eyes. She was no longer able to feed herself, no longer able to clean herself, no longer able to talk, no longer able to tell us if she was in pain, upset or angry. It was heart-breaking. In February 2009 we made the most difficult decision of all and had to place my Mum in a Nursing home. We had resisted doing this for such a long time but it was no longer possible to meet my Mum’s medical needs. Every day my Dad and I would see my Mum and ensure she was fed, clean and as comfortable as possible. Despite some lovely nursing staff my Mum still suffered further. She fell out of bed several times, suffered bed sores from not being moved, was often left unclean and dehydrated. Every day was a worry as to how we would find her and all along hoping that she was not in pain and not suffering.

In April 2009 we tragically had my Dad taken away from us after he had a massive heart attack. We had often wondered how much my Mum understood about what was happening and whether she still heard what we said to her. The moment I told her Dad was gone I knew she did, the sparkle went from her eyes and she gave up. 15 weeks later she passed away. I was devastated.

My story is not unique, every family who is told that someone they love has Parkinson’s will watch their loved one disappear before their eyes and know that currently there is no way to prevent it, cure it or properly ease the symptoms. I want to prevent other families going through what my family and I have been through. My Mum did not deserve what happened to her and I did not deserve to lose my Mum.

Please help me help others and prevent this terrible disease from hurting so many other people. I am going to jump out of a plane strapped to a stranger from 10,000ft and face my fears so that hopefully others don’t have to face the fear of losing their loved one. Any pennies you can spare are greatly appreciated. If you would like more info about Parkinson’s Disease, the charity and the work they do please visit the link on my page.

Mum this is for you; I love you always and think of you every day.

Thank you for your time.

Jenny xxx

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