August – John Durbin

Congratulations John Durbin! Golf champion and August recipient of the Warrior Spirit Award!

Here is what John had to say about his experience with PD Warrior and the role of sport in managing his Parkinson’s:

“Diagnosed in October 2019 at the age of 70 after losing dexterity in left hand and slight dragging of left foot (and reduced distance in hitting golf ball)Diagnosed in October 2019 at the age of 70 after losing dexterity in left hand and slight dragging of left foot (and reduced distance in hitting golf ball)

Heard of PD Warrior from a friend and signed up in March to start in April. Followed 10-week challenge (which initially coincided with Covid-19 lockdown) every day.

Golf course re-opened mid May, and immediate improvement noticed in flexibility which led to better ball-striking and hence confidence. Completed the challenge in June and since then am playing 18 holes of golf 3 times a week, and exercising an hour a day when not playing golf either using the programme set up by Vicky Knight or following your weekly video, and doing about 30 minutes of PDW exercises on the golfing days.
I continued playing better and more consistently and much to my delight recently won a competition (against a field of 68 including some very low handicap players) for the first time in several years.

PD Warrior has made me feel normal again. I no longer consider I have a problem with my left hand and I walk as well as any of my golfing partners. I have always participated in competitive sport – tennis, squash and for the last 20 years golf. So I rather feared that PD would put an end to golf and an active life style. Being active and competitive is so important to my well-being and I am grateful for the help PDW has given me. The 10-week challenge together with the one-on-one sessions with Vicky Knight has made a huge difference.”

Outstanding work John! I don’t think I can advocate the benefits of sport as a rehab and motivational tool any better than that!

Related Articles

September – Stephen Knox

Stephen attends our ARC clinic weekly for PD Warrior group sessions and you will also recognise him from our Thursday online gym sessions.
He is tenacious in his commitment to exercise and fighting Parkinson’s and does an outstanding job putting into words his Relationship with Parkinson’s…
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Past, Present and Future, by Stephen Knox:
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“Writing a story about something that occupies your past, present and future…

June – John Lake

Looking back, some indicators of PD had been there for maybe up to two years before my diagnosis in April 2019. Principally my hand writing (I am R hand dominant) was becoming more and more laboured. Some eight months earlier I had decided to learn the violin, so the clincher became that I could not bow smoothly with my right arm, which became increasingly frustrating for me and my teacher. My father was afflicted with Parkinson’s late in his life, so all added up, the diagnosis was just a confirmation of what I already suspected.

Responses

Tracker

Tracker

The tracker is designed to help you track the amount of time you spend in scheduled exercise each day. Scheduled exercise is activity you have prioritised in your day for health and to help slow your Parkinson’s down. This might include PD Warrior exercise, fast walking, golfing, going to the gym etc. It does not include incidental activity such as housework & gardening (although we hope this increases too). The aim of the tracker is to help you build an exercise habit and to keep you accountable, so try and enter something each day.
At the end of the 10 Week Challenge you can download and review your overall performance.

Tribe 365 Community Guidelines

Overview

The goal of the Tribe 365 community is to share relevant Parkinson’s Disease information and resources, and support fellow members through the highs and lows of their journey with Parkinson’s Disease.

In order to meet the goals of this community, it’s important for members to feel like they are in a safe place that is populated by people with shared interests. As such, we request that you read and adhere to the guidelines that follow.

Guidelines:

  • Respect the privacy and personal information of other members
  • Communicate with courtesy and respect
  • Treat others online as you would treat them in real life
  • Be tolerant towards other’s viewpoints; respectfully disagree when opinions do not align

Please do not:

  • Sell or promote any products or services without the administrator’s prior permission
  • Make personal attacks on other community members
  • Use defamatory remarks or make false statements against others
  • Post prejudiced comments or profanity
  • Bully or make inflammatory remarks to other community members

Consequences:
We will take action when we see someone violating these guidelines. We request that all community members report behaviour that violates our guidelines to a member of the PD Warrior Team.

Agreement:
By logging onto the community and activating your profile, you are considered to be in agreement with the terms and conditions listed above.