Dave Greaves’s Profile
I believe that a cure for Parkinson's Disease is reaching its end-game phase and I am determined to help make this degenerative curse a thing of the past. Never again will anyone have to suffer the debilitating loss of muscular control and the inevitable downhill spiral to an undignified end. Present sufferers will be able to say, “I used to have Parkinson’s Disease”
My life has been devoted to health and fitness. I have been a regular runner for 45 years; cycling, swimming, fell walking and outdoor pursuits have been a routine part of my life. I have enthused the younger generation with my passion for fitness and the outdoor life as a teacher, youth leader, gymnastics club coach, and swimming and dance teacher.
In 1996 I took part in the toughest yacht race in the world, the BT Global Challenge. I opted for the role of bowman and mast man, the two most dangerous and challenging jobs on the boat. I experienced being capsized in the middle of the night off the west coast of Africa, being whipped round the head of the mast like a rag doll in enormous seas and helming the boat through the tail end of a hurricane in the Southern Ocean – experiences impossible to recount with any sense of reality.
In 2001 I trekked to Base Camp with the British Everest Expedition with Everest mountaineer Chris Brown. My wife and I have shared the enthusiasm for fitness and health throughout our 39 years of marriage. Over the years we have shared participation in ballroom dancing, Morris Dancing, fell walking, cycling and canoeing, sailing and yoga. Life has been sweet.
Constantly in my sights has been my Dad, a Yorkshireman with an enthusiasm for life who achieved a remarkable 95 years of almost perfect health. He had the heart-rending job of nursing my mother, his soul-mate for life, as she struggled in fear and bewilderment to keep control of her spiralling world with Parkinson’s Disease. If he could survive to 95 without any serious focus on health and fitness, then surely I, with a lifetime of planned diet and exercise behind me could hope to achieve the big ONE ZERO ZERO. I was in control. Everything was going to plan.
Then came the blackest day in my life, 26th January, 2004, two days before my 59th birthday. “David, you’ve got Parkinson’s disease. You won’t need any medication just yet. See you in six months time. Oh and don’t forget to tell the DVLA”. Then alone, out on the street
My life was shattered. I had been dealt the worst possible hand. All I could say to my wife between the tears was, “It’s just not fair”. I had lost control.
I have learned to live with PD. It is not the end of the world. I’ve learned to understand mortality and disability. My life-long motto, “Life is not a rehearsal” has re-focussed my enthusiasm for maximising the opportunities which life offers. Old enthusiasms have been resurrected and new opportunities explored. Photography now unites many of my old passions. Hours every day are spent photographing peregrines, badger, bats, people and landscapes; then many more hours on the computer manipulating those images to create ‘works of art!’. I have even had my first photographic exhibition which attracted Arts Council funding. So life is still sweet. I’m happy again. Friends have come to realise that Dave is still Dave, but now he trips up all the time and hish drinksh are shaken not shtirred. I have got Parkinson’s Disease, but it hasn’t got me.
The big bonus is that my sporting and fitness life has not come to an end. It continues, but at a slower pace. I still run, cycle, swim and walk the fells with my wife
This is why I want to attract people with PD to join us on our End to End cycle marathon. Exercise and sport are the key to maintaining your health with PD. They are half of your treatment Regular physical activity as part of your daily routine bring a real improvement in your condition. Keep fit, stay alive, ‘cos the end of PD is nigh.
Join us END to End to End Parkinson’s Disease.
David Greaves