I met Stevie at work about 10 years ago. The first time, I properly got to know her, I remember I got a lift from her to an event at work and there was no awkward small talk, I immediately felt comfortable with her and we chatted away. Some time later, not long after I…
Self care with friends who inspire me: Part 2 – How being in the moment with rugby helps with the pain of fibromyalgia
I work with a lovely lady called Louise. We have never met in person as we started working together at the start of the Covid pandemic and so all of our interactions have been on screen. Despite this, we have got to know each other quite well. Louise is one of the most inspirational people…
Self care with friends who inspire me: Part 1 – Learning to live with lupus
Pretty much all of my blogs so far have been about my experience of living with Parkinson’s. However, it isn’t always about Parkinson’s and it isn’t all about me. For self care week – which starts today – I have written a series of blogs about self care when you have a long term condition….
Rolling back the tears
After I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, it was several months before I could say “I have Parkinson’s” without fighting back the tears. Three years after my diagnosis, I shared my first blog about living with Parkinson’s and I was overwhelmed (teary even) at the positive response and support that I received from friends, family, colleagues…
My DBS journey: Feeling afraid, holding onto hope and practising patience
For me, one of the worst things about living with Parkinson’s is knowing that it’s not going to get better. But the prospect of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery gave me hope that my symptoms could be eased and my quality of life could be improved. This summer after struggling for so long with the…
My DBS journey continues… Alongside England’s Euro 2020 journey
The last time that England reached the semi finals in the European Cup was in 1996. That was the first time I watched an entire football match. It was also the year I had brain surgery to remove a growth in my pituitary gland. Coincidentally, England reached the semi finals again this summer 2021, and…
Painting A Story
In a recent blog, I set myself a Creative Writing Challenge to help me to practice my handwriting and support the work of Parkinson’s Care and Support UK (PCSUK). I invited everyone who sponsored me to send me a word which I would then include in a handwritten story. I would like to say a…
Living with Parkinson’s: Memorable Moments
The theme of this year’s Parkinson’s Awareness Week (11-17 April 2021) is mental health in Parkinson’s. So I thought I would share a few memorable moments which have impacted on my mental health… The letter – I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in October 2013. I remember the day, a few months later, when I received…
Writing: A Creative Challenge
Last month, I entered the first Let’s Combat Micrographia writing competition for people with Parkinson’s – submitting a story which included over 25 words from a list of 50 words. My story was over 360 words, it was handwritten and my writing was actually legible! And it was much bigger than it used to be….
Handwriting, hope and homework
Handwriting:Today (23 January) is National Handwriting Day. The aim is to encourage us to put pen to paper and write down our thoughts. I’m not quite putting pen to paper as I write this blog, but I did put pen to paper this morning as I started my homework for this week. Yes, that’s ‘homework’…
Living with Parkinson's 