By Brendan Rees
John McKenzie has been battling Parkinson’s disease for 10 years but remains determined to keep on moving.
“Generally people don’t know much about Parkinson’s – they just think it’s old people who shake,” he said.
“There’s a hell of a lot more involved than that and it’s quite debilitating.”
At 66, the Lyndhurst resident will join thousands of people for Parkinson’s Victoria’s 10th anniversary A Walk in the Park on Sunday 26 August at Federation Square.
Every dollar raised through A Walk in the Park helps to improve the lives of people with Parkinson’s.
John, who is the founder of Parkinson’s Peer Support Group in Cranbourne, says the event will be a poignant reminder of the simple joy of walking that many people with Parkinson’s fight to maintain.
“My grand-daughter who is six, said ‘I want to walk because my granddad is ill and I want to make him better.’”
Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition that affects movement. About 80,000 Australians (or one in every 350 people) are living with Parkinson’s.
Every day, a further 30 people are diagnosed with the condition, for which there is currently no cure.
John said he had deep brain stimulation –a treatment involving surgical implantation of a medical device called a brain pacemaker, which sends electrical impulses to specific parts of the brain.
“It was very successful but unfortunately I got an infection golden staph.” He says medical staff will “have another go” with the treatment in October.
Parkinson’s Victoria relies on fundraising to support the delivery of essential services tailored to Victorians living with Parkinson’s.
The non-competitive walk sets off from Federation Square at 11am and includes 2km and 4km return circuits from Federation Square through Kings Domain
“This year, we hope to bring that total to 27,000, which represents the number of Victorians living with Parkinson’s.” said Emma Collin, CEO of Parkinson’s Victoria.
To register to walk and fundraise for the Melbourne Walk go to www.parkinsonswalk.org.au.
