“Yes, you’ve got Parkinson’s”

Like many other people with a significant diagnosis I know exactly when I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s - July 16 2019. I didn’t know quite what it would mean, but I did know that it was a life-changing moment!  And like many others with Parkinson’s that wasn’t the first step on the road. So when …

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Paying the penalty

Yesterday I took another faltering step in my totally unexpected, late burgeoning sports career. I played for my walking football club, Pennine Parkies, in the Cure Parkinson’s Cup at the home of England football, St George’s Park National Football Centre. It was a full-on event, and very rewarding to take part in.  I first got …

ParkyBoy live – the arena tour

When we heard that the 2022 PingPong Parkinson World Championship would be in Croatia Kerry and I decided pretty much instantly that I would take part, and we’d build a holiday around it. We also decided to go overland. That led to some epic planning and travelling, all of which would have an impact on …

Ping pong Pula

I’m currently with Kerry in Poreč (Croatia), getting some R&R after taking part in the PingPongParkinson World Championship, just down the Istrian coast in Pula. We spent five days in a large sports centre - me playing (rather more than expected), Kerry watching, chatting with my fellow players and their partners, and basically being my …

The state of ParkyBoy – diagnosis +3

I recently celebrated (nope… try ‘passed’) the third anniversary of being diagnosed with Parkinson’s. It feels a good time to reflect and share, as I did last year. I’m not just interested in ‘clinical’ issues, but the whole picture of the impact of Parkinson’s on my life. If this helps other people reflect on their …

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa”

How long can you keep that sound going? How loud can you make it? What’s it like doing this in a zoom room, with three people watching and listening? I found out recently when my long-awaited referral to a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) came through, out of the blue, when I’d almost forgotten about …

“If you build it they will come”

I’m a bit of a procrastinator. It can take me a very long time to get moving on an idea or project. On the plus side this means that I don’t spend huge amounts of money that I don’t have, or do things impulsively that I haven’t thought through. But sometimes you just have to …

ParkyBoy goes on holiday

I lost my phone on arrival at Leeds train station. At first sight it may look unfair to blame ParkyBoy, but I interrogated him and he admitted to playing a small, but decisive role in the incident. But first some context.  Kerry and I had to be at Leeds train station at 2am, to get …

Still on the left wing

I thought my footballing non-career was over 12 years ago. I’d hung up my (astro) boots, but didn’t think I’d actually gone as far as to give them away. I found them in the attic, in a pile of stuff I was unlikely to use again. Yesterday I put them on - they still fit!  …

Right to work?

“18 hours a week”: after a long period of uncertainty I have just been offered an additional year in my job, at slightly reduced hours. I feel great relief. Relief at having an adequate, ongoing source of income, for sure. But it’s not just about the money. Is it ever really just about the money? …

No need to talk about it, we understand

In a previous job I proposed, at a staff meeting, that we ensure our services were accessible to older LGBT+ people. A colleague said: “I don’t have a problem about it, but I don’t understand why they want to meet separately.” I’d been here before and was able to respond strongly, hopefully without belittling her. …