I grew up in Oxfordshire, did a PhD in chemistry and then did academic research in America for a couple of years. After that I moved back to the UK and worked in IT for several years in different companies.  By 2007 I was 35, married, settled back in in a small town near Oxford, thinking of starting my own business and mountain biking around the Chilterns whenever I could.

During the previous year or so I had noticed a tightness in my right ankle... I thought I just needed to adjust the clips on my bike pedals. Then my right wrist got tight too – I thought it was probably RSI. Eventually, my ankle was so tight I couldn't walk without limping and my knee stopped working correctly. Time to go to the doctor. After 8 months of tests, MRI scans, lumber punctures, evoked potentials I finally had a DATScan which showed that I had Parkinsons. After all the worry of the last 8 months it seemed almost a relief to finally know what was actually wrong. The consultant put me on levodopa but it didn't work. Since then I have tried various other drugs. However, about 1 year later I am still trying drugs looking for one that will help.

 

So raising money to fund research into finding a cure or even just improved treatments for this disease has a special resonance for me.

Most people think that the main symptom of Parkinson's is a resting tremor. Well that is only one way it can affect people. For me, the two most frustrating aspects of Parkinson's are that I can no longer walk any distance without crutches and that the use of my hands is limited by muscle cramps in my arms and loss of fine control in my fingers. Typing is becoming pretty challenging for me – not good news when you work in IT!

 

Strangely, although I can not walk I can still do my two favourite activities, skiing and riding a bike. So due to the lack of snow in this country I am determined to what I can to contribute to the Pedal for Parkinson's ride by riding end to end to end!

Like everyone with Parkinson's I have good days and bad days. But when the sun is shining and you are out on your bike or skis – life still feels pretty good.