On 14 October 2023 Richard and I will be going to Tanzania with the aim of hiking to the summit of Kilimanjaro. We will walk the famous Rongai route hoping the reach the summit of the highest peak and volcano on the African continent in 6 days. We start at 1950m and the summit is at 5895 m! While the total distance to walk at 79 km is not too daunting the elevation difference is certainly challenging! We look forward with some trepidation.

The moment that I received the diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease is indelibly imprinted on my mind. Two things flashed through my head- would I still be able to hike up mountains and secondly for how long would I continue to be able to participate in and teach dance-exercise? Incredibly five years later I am still able to enjoy these two passions both of which are fundamental to being “me”. However not all people with Parkinson’s can continue to do their jobs, enjoy their favourite sport be it golf of swimming, or even get about independently; and for all of us the future heralds further difficulties in coping with daily life that in the past we took for granted. Not many people know that Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world- and there is still no cure. Dopamine replacement medication and exercise can help manage symptoms, and at last through clinical trials we are seeing the first signs of potentially disease-modifying therapies helped by the support of charities such as Cure Parkinson’s.

As part of the Cure Parkinson’s October Walking challenge participants of my Parkinson’s exercise classes (Anthony, Anne, Gaye, Jed, Justin, Jenny, Joan, Richard ) are going to add their daily walking miles to those of mine and Richard’s; they will be with us in spirit and inspiring us to keep going as the air gets thinner and thinner.

Please help us raise much need funds for Cure Parkinson’s who are doing all they can to help scientists and medics discover treatments which have the potential to slow, stop, or reverse the devastating progression of Parkinson’s Disease.