Wobbly Williams' next challenges: Tour de France and Monte Carlo
05 / 09 / 2012
Parkinson's Disease campaigner Bryn Williams spoke of his latest plans at the new Nuffield Health Fitness Centre in Edinburgh yesterday.
Bryn, founder of the Wobbly Williams charity, spoke at the Centre (formerly Green's) yesterday as part of a week-long programme to celebrate its official launch as a Nuffield Health premises.
He described his journey from his devastating Parkinson's diagnosis five years ago, when he was only 36 years old. He took up exercise when he found out it could help him in his fight against the disease, starting with walking the West Highland Way with friends and family. Since then he has completed six marathons and climbed Kilimanjaro and before the end of this year he will take part in the Baxter’s Loch Ness marathon and the New York marathon. When he’s not running, walking or climbing he’s busy organising events from Mr Jelly’s Big Fat Wobbly Wedding (a corporate dinner with very unusual entertainment) to Wobbleaid, an annual music festival – all to raise the money to fund a cure for Parkinson’s.
Parkinson's patients suffer from a lack of the brain chemical dopamine, which helps them control their movements. As Bryn says “Parkinson’s doesn’t kill you but it does make your life very unpleasant.” Now the first stage of clinical trails of a new drug delivery system direct to the affected part of the brain is about to start. All going well it will prove to be as good as a cure for Parkinson’s.
Bryn is hopeful but realistic. He says: “This will either prove to be a cure or it will turn out not to be what we have hoped for.” Either way, Bryn won’t give up his fight. He’s already planning fundraising for second stage trials from a day out in Drymen (watch this space) to a Tour de France Challenge and a Monte Carlo rally starting from Glasgow.
For more details, or to contribute to funding more research into Parkinson’s see www.wobblywilliams.com.
