This is my smile!
“Don’t look so serious”, my mother in law said, “smile for the camera”. “This is my smile” I replied. It’s fair to say that the camera and I are no longer friends. I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s just over two years ago at 47. The diagnosis took 30 minutes, quick and simple. So many of […]
Cruising along
Andrew was diagnosed in 2000 after experiencing problems with walking, fatigue and deteriorating handwriting. At the time, one of his doctors told his wife Betty that he probably wouldn’t be able to walk in five years. This spurred Andrew on to a fairly heavy exercise regime. Fifteen years later, Andrew describes himself as becoming a “gym junkie.” He also continues to play golf […]
A love that lasts a lifetime
They met in London in the 1960’s when Elaine was studying to become a physiotherapist, and Jonathan a doctor. “It was a Women’s Weekly romance,” says Elaine. “In those days you had to stay and write up your notes after classes. That’s where Jonathan made the first move.” Elaine remembers with crisp clarity their first […]
Out of the blue
It was at this point that Clare was able to identify other problems – such as tiny hand-writing and freezing in one hand – that she had not previously known were related, or to be symptoms of Parkinson’s. Clare is fifty-nine years old and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s eight years ago now. She is a […]
Being Young at Park
A Fight Parkinson’s Ambassador and Member of the Governance and Research Committee, Karyn is also a keen a blogger, sharing her knowledge and experiences online. She also founded Young at Park, a support group for people living with Young Onset Parkinson’s. Karyn has raised thousands of dollars to support services and research into Parkinson’s. In […]
Losing the Parkinson’s mask
It may not be considered a big achievement for most people, but for the former electrician and high school electronics teacher, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 12 years ago, it will be something of a milestone. Shane’s symptoms before diagnosis were what many describe as classic Parkinson’s – tremors and loss of fine motor skills. […]
The double-blow
Mike’s career had seen him move through the Commonwealth Bank to Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), Juvenile Justice, as a tours director in Europe and, following a mature age qualification in business, into industrial relations for the union movement. His union job meant extensive interstate travel, broken sleep, lots of coffee and unhealthy food. People had […]
Something wasn’t right
Jill was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2002 after suffering an unrelated minor stroke. Looking back, she says, her smaller writing, dragging feet and her needing two hands to clean teeth, were early signs that “something wasn’t right”. Her brother had Parkinson’s and it was his insistence to her to “get on the tablets” that started […]
Still going strong
Peter Raymond wasn’t keeping up with other members of his cricket team; he found himself dosing off at traffic lights in warmer weather and he’d bought an electric toothbrush because he didn’t have the strength to brush his teeth. Tennis elbow, bad posture, arthritis, fatigue. Peter knew that he wasn’t suffering ‘old age’, but the […]
Geoff’s new direction
“It was actually a big relief to finally put a name to my condition. In fact, I even remember smiling when the neurologist told me, which was not a reaction he had encountered before,” says Geoff. Geoff’s positivity has continued unabated since diagnosis. He has thrown himself into a regime of outdoor activity to help […]