Hywel Griffiths

My Positive Attitude and Drives Me On

I was only 32 years old when I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and I was absolutely devastated. I had no idea at all about what having the condition meant. All I knew or believed at the start was that:

‘Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative neurological condition’

‘Parkinson’s disease only affects old people.’

This was all that I could think about for the first couple of months until I was lucky enough to be afforded the services of a Parkinson’s disease nurse specialist. She sat me down and in no uncertain terms she told me that I could either give in to the disease and let it consume me or fight back, accept that I had the disease and get on with things; viewing this diagnosis as simply a new fork in the road that makes its path through the rich tapestry that is life.

I took the second option and in doing so – I made two promises to myself that I still try to adhere to today.

Every day – I will simply strive to be the best that I can be

I will always try and help those condemned with ‘The Parkinson’s Curse

I see this job as another opportunity

I would like to try and give a little bit of understanding about Parkinson’s and a glimpse into a life spent living with this insidious condition.

Parkinson’s is a degenerative and incurable brain condition, which is caused when part of the brain stops producing Dopamine, which is a chemical neurotransmitter. Dopamine is responsible for facilitating the transfer of messages from the brain to other parts of the Central Nervous System. The condition affects sufferers in different ways, and life becomes a daily challenge with seemingly simple tasks taking enormous time and effort. Walking is a prime example of this where people take for granted, how easy it is just to put one foot in front of the other… whereas if I’m having a ‘switched off’ period, it feels as if someone has pulled the emergency communication cord and I’m like Ivor the Engine trying to puff his way up to the top of Mount Snowden with a full wagon of coal on tow , rather than like the Orient Express, gliding gracefully and effortlessly across Europe.