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’…
Waiting and hoping, but not drowning
I began my DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) journey a couple of months ago. I’ve now been through the assessment process to see if I am suitable for this brain surgery – which although not a cure for Parkinson’s, has the potential to greatly improve my quality of life. The assessments involved an MRI scan, cognitive…
All at sea and sharing a single sky
When music strikes a chord. And inspires blogs. All at Sea. Single Sky. Two songs which I’ve been singing with my choir recently – both by our Musical Director Gitika Partington’s band 3 Bucket Jones. Both of which struck a chord with me over the last few years – in fact they both inspired blogs….
And so it begins…
Excited. Nervous. Scared. Those feelings you get when you’re waiting for something which has the potential to either crush your hopes or fulfill them. That’s how I felt this week after the wheels were finally set in motion for me to start the assessment process to see if I am eligible for Deep Brain Stimulation…
Blog 100: The future’s not ours to see
As it’s coming up to seven years since the day I was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s disease, this blog is about where I’ve been on my Parkinson’s journey for the last year or so, and what may lie ahead. When you’re on five types of Parkinson’s medication, taking more than 10 tablets a day, and…
Singing for The Samaritans
“Some-times in our lives, we all have pain, we all have sorrow. But if we are wise, we know that there’s always tomorrow.” (Lean on me, Bill Withers) We’ve all certainly seen and experienced a lot of pain and sorrow in recent times. If ever there was a time we need to have hope for…
Discombobulated
I can hardly believe it’s August already! This year hasn’t turned out at all how I thought it would (and I’m pretty sure not alone in feeling this way). We’ve all experienced changes and challenges in our lives before. Yet somehow this year feels different. I’ve never heard the word ‘unprecedented’ used so many times…
Parkinson’s and perspective in pandemic times
I spent much of last year really struggling with my Parkinson’s. At the start of this year, I turned a corner in terms of how I was coping with everything, and I decided to focus on hope. I made plans – I booked a trip abroad with my best friend, I joined a new choir,…
Doing things differently and doing different things – part 2
We all have our strengths and weaknesses. I was never very good at sports, drama or public speaking at school. I was better at other things like maths, languages and science. I also didn’t enjoy the things I wasn’t good at and tended to avoid them when possible even after leaving school. Living with Parkinson’s means…
Living with Parkinson's 