June Warrior Spirit Award – Eddie Anderson


It has been a pleasure working with Eddie and his very supportive wife Pauline who took on the role of exercise buddy and coach! I can’t wait to see what you achieve next!

“Hi, I am Eddie Anderson. I am 78 years old and I am a retired postal officer.  I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2015.  It wasn’t the greatest news I’ve had and I was unsure of what that meant for my future.  Pauline and my family were concerned about my shuffling gait, my sometimes blank expressions and my tending to become withdrawn. My balance and motor skills were deteriorating and I lost my sense of smell. 

While doing rehab I was encouraged by the physio to look at PD Warrior, she thought it would be good for me to try a different approach to the exercises I had been doing.  I must admit I was very apprehensive but with encouragement from my wife I decided to try the 10 week challenge.  I started the ten weeks wondering how I could possible get through it.  I have never done regular exercise, but I was able with Jason’s help to do my exercises every day.  Gradually my balance and gait started to improve and family and friends were pleased with my walking and how far I was able to go.  I have been able to go back to projects around the house and I am more comfortable with mixing with others. 

I play in a Salvation Army band and I have been concerned that my playing the cornet was not as good as it used to be.  After 3 weeks of PD Warrior my playing started to improve (don’t ask me how) and at the end of the challenge my bandmaster said he had noticed the improvement.  One big Wow factor I have had was to be able to have a hit of tennis with my grandchildren. I haven’t played tennis for over 25 years and I was delighted with my effort and the results.

I intend to keep up the PD Warrior exercises and I am going to investigate going to a local physio and gym to remain physically fit.  I will continue to play tennis and to play the guitar – which with my fingers is a real challenge.

I would like to thank Jason for his professionalism and his genuine interest in my progress.  I always received encouragement form Jason and of course my wife Pauline.

Here’s looking to the future.”

 

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.