Support Ollie's Fundraising for Parkinson's UK

Every hour, 2 people in the UK are told they have Parkinson's, with the estimated number of people diagnosed currently sitting at around 145,000.

Parkinson's is a condition that is rather close to home for me and my family: one of my loved ones was actually diagnosed several years ago, and has been learning to cope with it day-by-day ever since.

While a cruel and incurable condition, I cannot be prouder of this particular family member in how they have not only dealt with the situation with the biggest of smiles but how they have worked extremely hard to raise money and awareness of Parkinson's among friends, strangers, family members and businesses across the Midlands.

While I have contributed to relevant charities here and there - I am yet to commit myself to a similar level of support, and for this, I'm a little ashamed.

As a (fairly) athletic guy who loves sport, I have now made the decision to get up off my arse and do something active to raise awareness and funds for Parkinson's UK, an organisation working extremely hard to find a cure, that also provides support and guidance to those affected by Parkinson's.

I would massively appreciate any support towards my efforts to raise money for a cause very close to my heart. Before finding out how you can help me raise funds, though, learn more about the Parkinson's UK and the condition below...

What is Parkinson's?

One adult in every 350 in the UK has Parkinson's, yet it's fair to say most people's knowledge of the condition is somewhat limited. I, for example, had no idea what Parkinson's was until someone I love was diagnosed.

In the words of Parkinson's UK, "Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition. This means that it causes problems in the brain and gets worse over time."

Essentially, Parkinson's develops when cells in the brain start to fail and are eventually lost, causing a lack of dopamine, a chemical that carries information in the brain, regulating movement, attention, learning, and emotional responses.

What are the symptoms of Parkinson's?

The loss of dopamine has various consequences, with Parkinson's symptoms including:

  1. A tremor
  2. Rigidity, aches and slowness of movement:
  3. Dizziness
  4. Fatigue
  5. Freezing
  6. Speech and communication problems:
  7. Memory & thinking problems:

I'd be lying if I said it didn't upset me each time I am reminded of the symptoms of Parkinson's, recognising many of them in a very close member of my family, knowing that there is currently no cure and that these conditions are likely to worsen. However, they are not one to wallow in self-pity, so I most certainly will not either.

Instead, I, like them, am hoping to do something: to fight back against the condition. Not just for my own loved one, but for the many people like them, starting and ending each day with a smile in the hope that one day, a cure will be found. But we can't do it alone.

Help me raise funds for the thousands of people diagnosed with Parkinson's

As touched upon earlier - I am running the Northumberland Half-Marathon on behalf of Parkinson's UK, and need all the help I can get. I'll take care of the training (I'll need a lot!) and dieting, of course, but I do need your support to achieve my goal of raising as much money as I can for an amazing cause that really does mean a lot to me and my family.

As someone who once had to combine pasta and gravy (the only two things in my cupboard) as a lunchtime and evening meal for two days straight at university, I completely understand and appreciate that not everyone is in a position to provide funds towards my efforts.

All I ask is that you help to spread the word - whether that's sharing this blog post, making fun of my running style, chucking a few pennies on my fundraising page, or educating people on Parkinson's at the local boozer. In return, I promise never to mention my Strava or how fast my latest mile was. Nobody likes that guy...

My Parkinson's UK fundraising page can be found here.

Thank you,

Ollie.

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