There will be raffles, a sponsored hike, collection boxes and a ‘Just Giving’ page.
Needless to say any support at all. Will be greatly appreciated by everyone living with Parkinson’s.
Cindy’s Story
This is a true account from just one of around 153,000 people living with Parkinson’s in the UK. Every hour, 2 more people are diagnosed.
I was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1996, when I was 49 years old. It took me a long time to accept. In common with many newly diagnosed people, particularly those diagnosed at a relatively young age, I simply did not believe it. I was diagnosed a few weeks before I was due to marry. I asked my fiancé if he still wanted to marry me? Fortunately we have now been married for nearly 28 years.
That first diagnosis, particularly when I came to accept it, changed my whole outlook on life. I think many of us go through life, for a long time, not really thinking about our mortality.
Being told I had Parkinson’s. Being told I had an incurable progressive condition. Caused me to reassess my life.
It is a shock. It knocks you for six.
When I started to get over that initial setback and accepted my condition, I decided I was not going to let it dictate my life.
I have always been positive and a fighter. I have continued with that mindset for the last 28 years.
Parkinson’s is caused by a loss of nerve cells in part of the brain called the substantia nigra. This leads to a reduction in a chemical called dopamine in the brain. Dopamine plays a vital role in regulating the movement of the body. A reduction in dopamine is responsible for many of the symptoms of Parkinson’s.
A lot of people associate Parkinson’s with tremors. I have never had tremors.
There are more than 40 symptoms but Parkinson's affects everyone differently. Not everyone will experience all the symptoms.
The first thing I noticed was that I lost my sense of smell. My handwriting became like a small spider crawling across the paper.
I have been on medication since I was first diagnosed. In the main, my meds are dopamine replacement drugs.
Over the years my condition has developed. It has been controlled by the medication. I now take eight tablets a day, most of them at three hourly intervals, mainly to keep my dopamine levels up.
I get dizzy spells, particularly when I stand up. A few years ago I had a fall as a result of those dizzy spells and broke my neck. That took some recovering from!
I have difficulty walking because of the Parkinson’s, I can freeze when trying to walk through a doorway, my voice is very quiet. When I walk into a room I feel everyone is watching me, I get hallucinations because of both the Parkinson’s and a side effect of my medication.
There are definitely drugs and procedures that help, however there is no cure for Parkinson’s. We don't yet know exactly why people get Parkinson's.
I want to raise as much money as possible for Parkinson’s UK.
Not necessarily for me. My Parkinson’s is well advanced.
Having lived with it for so long I dream of a time when there is a cure so that nobody else has to live with the condition for years and years. Even better, a time when it can be prevented.
I know these are lofty goals.
In the meantime I want Parkinson’s UK to be in the best possible position to help & campaign for those of us currently living with the condition and those who will be told, tomorrow, that they have an incurable degenerative condition.
Please consider taking a moment of your time to donate to a cause that is doing so much for, and giving hope to, people like me and (sadly) those who will follow.
https://www.justgiving.com/page/peter-sturman-1710373113753?utm_term=KYBDYb9Ww
Thank you,
Cindy xxx
