Norman finds support at Parkinson’s Northland

A story from Norman Wallace, a member of Parkinson’s Northland.

Back in 1986, during a trip back to the Old Country, I fell up a flight of steps in Shaftesbury Avenue for no apparent reason. I felt a real fool!

After that, at about six to nine months intervals I had various unexplained falls, not serious but nevertheless worrying. 

By the time I was 80 years in 2006, I had become “wobbly” and found I couldn’t write legibly anymore. I took this to be old age creeping up on me. However, a trip to the doctor for a routine diabetic check, told me that I now had Parkinson’s Disease as well, and that the falls were almost certainly an early indication of the condition.

It had been bad enough six years previously when I was diagnosed as being diabetic but now to be told that I had a “disease” was beyond my belief.

No-one in my family has ever had either of these conditions, so why me? It was quite a while before I could acknowledge that my body was malfunctioning and probably had been for some years.

Last year, when I finally reconciled myself to having Parkinson’s Disease, Age Concern put me in touch with our field worker, Ross Wadman. Ross came to visit me although I live out in the wop wops, and talked to me for a couple of hours like the proverbial Dutch Uncle. He helped me to understand the whole situation and most importantly to assure me that I’m not alone with my problems.

I have since done a lot of reading on the subject and attended the Brain Train talks where I was surprised to learn that any blow to the head may trigger all sorts of undesired reactions later on in life. So it appears that the car accident I had in 1970, when my head was hurt, could quite well have damaged my ability to produce sufficient dopamine to keep both my “motor” system and my production of insulin up to the necessary levels.  Hence I now have non-hereditary Diabetes and Parkinson’s Disease.

I am so grateful to Ross for his help and understanding and I am pleased that I have now joined the support group who have made me realise that it is not the end of the world to have Parkinson’s Disease.