New date: 26th June, 2021.

Being diagnosed with Parkinson's 6 years ago has possibly been the biggest challenge of my dad’s life. Back in the day he was an active man and would boast about how many squats he could do as a lad every morning before going to work. As his squat routine faded his efforts shifted to regular 100 meter sprint challenges with me between 2 lamp posts just outside the bungalow he built with his own hands. He always won by a split second and I’m convinced this explains the sadly competitive streak that challenges me everyday.

He now cycles 5 miles every morning. He shouts at Alexa which sits on the floor of the bathroom to play some music while he rides going nowhere but in his mind he’s gone to the nearest village and back. He always used his hands, from laying the bricks of his own home to compositing type as a young print apprentice, so accepting how to live with the same, once dextrous, limbs that now involuntarily shake, struggle to hold a knife and fork and dress himself has been and will continue to be a process of relearning and readjusting.

As a printmaker I also work with my hands, and ride a bike on a daily basis, at least I used to until when on a training ride back in 2019 my front wheel slid on a patch of oily mud. Thrown to the ground, I landed on my hands and ruptured the exterior tendon on my left thumb, the one responsible for giving the thumbs-up or hitch-hiking. The index finger is the first finger in line to step up to the thumbs everyday tasks but it doesn’t bend in the same way and faces the wrong direction for being able to pinch things. On the same hand try touch the tips of your fingers with the tip of your index finger. It’s impossible and nothing but some serious surgery will ever change that. By March 2020 my thumb had its own mini gym consisting of resistance bands and stress balls complete with a structured training program to stretch and strengthen in the hope to regain full movement. My thumb didn’t involuntarily shake and I could still dress myself but I had to relearn how to tie my shoe laces, open bottles and jam jars, some of the simple things we take for granted and devised alternative ways of living to remain independent and more importantly keep a positive outlook whilst not riding my bike. It took at least 6 months for my physio to give me the all clear to ride outside again. Muscles strengthened, nerves repaired, movement improved and recovery was looking good. My dads symptoms on the other hand gradually worsened and every month faced by a new involuntary movement.

Just before coming off the bike my friend Tom and I registered to take part in a long distance bike ride called the Transalba. In a nutshell it’s a self supported bicycle race that starts and finishes in Edinburgh taking in 1065 miles of my homelands toughest, and most beautiful roads. We have our own reasons for doing it but for me, apart from winning, there are 2 things; to find that place of discomfort and vulnerability, both physical and mental, where you’re forced to challenge and compete with yourself but more importantly to raise money in aid of Parkinson’s UK who continue to research and develop new treatments to help people like my dad live a less vulnerable and more comfortable life.

The Transalba route isn’t a stranger to me. I grew up on Scotlands west coast and have visited the highlands and islands many times. A few years back my good friend Lee and I rode the NC500 but we only covered half the daily distances required to win a race like this and stayed in B&B’s with hot showers and comfy beds to ensure dry clothes and a good nights sleep for the following day. Riding for 12+ hours for 7 consecutive days and sleeping outdoors in a bivy sack however is unknown territory to me. I have a good feeling that I’ll find that place of discomfort amongst many other things. I like to sleep, I get angry when wet and know that winning will be hard so have pledged a pound for every mile. That’s £1065 to help back further research and development for Parkinson’s UK.

I’d like to thank in advance Saffron Frameworks for building me the most amazing machine to do the distance as comfortably as possible, Laka Insurance for giving me peace of mind that my bike will be safe when sleeping outdoors and especially Stephen Beasley for putting up with my many unrealistic ideas!

How your donations help:
£10 pays for 2 weeks of nutrients to grow brain cells in the lab for research
£20 funds an hour of care from a specialist Parkinson's nurse
£48 funds a clinical researcher for 2 hours
£140 pays for 10 helpline advisers for an hour, to provide support and information
https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/get-involved/where-your-money-goes


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