Last year, my mum was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which came as a bit of a shock. Knowledge is power, however, and my brother managed to procure what was effectively a dummy's guide to the disease, written by people who actually have Parkinson's. This little gem came from a friend of my brother's, Tom Isaacs, who is one of the most inspirational people I know, and it's because of him that I'm using my tubewalk to raise money for the Cure Parkinson's Trust.Tom was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1996, at the tender age of 27, but this obviously hasn't stopped him. Since 1999 he's raised over £400,000 for Parkinson's Disease Society research projects, including £40,000 from a walk from John o'Groats to Land's End. Clearly this was just a warm-up, because from April 2002 to April 2003, Tom walked 4500 miles around the coastline of Britain, climbing the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales on the way, and raising not only money, but awareness of Parkinson's disease, through giving more than 190 interviews and walking with more than 40 MPs, nine Mayors, and 16 celebrities. He was runner up in the GMTV/Daily Mirror Fundraiser of the Year Award 2004 and was the UK's Charity Personality of the Year in 2005. Tom's book about his walk, Shake Well Before Use, is published on 1 May 2008.
Tom is now Managing Director of Movers and Shakers, a group of high profile individuals with Parkinson's disease who form the fundraising arm of the Cure Parkinson's Trust. The Trust itself forms the research side of the organisation, channelling funds directly and quickly into projects, hosting research forums and disseminating the results from these meetings.
If you would like to donate something to the Trust, no matter how small, you'll need to know how to donate. Anything you can spare will be greatly appreciated by people like my mum... and people like me. Thanks for listening.
