EVERY hour, someone in the UK is told they have Parkinson’s. Eleven years ago, that hour belonged to Dave Logan.

The father-of-two, of Liden, had tried all types of medical treatments for swelling in a tendon in his foot, including NHS injections and tablets, when he went to see a Chinese alternative therapist in the town centre.

“She tried acupuncture and that actually worked, but while I was there on the couch she noticed my hands were shaking. She told me to go and see a doctor,” he said.

“I hadn’t really noticed it before but I took her advice. The doctor got me to do a few exercises, and then he diagnosed me with Parkinson’s.

“He told me he would either see me in a few months or in 10 years. For some people the progression is quick but for others it can be slow.

“At the time, I just thought ‘I don’t feel that bad’. I thought I would just get on with it and see what happens.”

Dave’s symptoms got worse about three years ago, and he started medication to get the stiffness and soreness, which affects the right side of his body, under control.

His medication has been increasing over time, and he has regular check-ups to monitor his abilities.

The 65-year-old is refusing to let the diagnosis stop him living his life though.

“It takes me longer to talk and I don’t talk as loud as I think I’m talking. I’m getting stiffer and sorer too. Over the last few months I have been using a stick because my right leg is dragging.

“Going to the shops is getting worse too. I don’t like having to get money out and putting it back. Going through airport security is difficult as well – it’s the multi-tasking that is difficult. I get cramps in my right leg and foot, and restless leg as well.”

Dave’s hands shake when he gets stressed. Before he retired from corporate communications at Honda, he was provided with a stamp with his signature on as writing became difficult for him.

They also got him a bigger computer screen because he has problems with his eyes.

Although Dave has retired, he is keeping busy as chairman of the Swindon and District branch of Parkinson’s UK, which he has been fundraising for by swimming the equivalent of the length of the English Channel over two months.

The challenge, the end of which coincided with Parkinson’s Awareness Week, allowed him to secure £1,145 of the £5,000 needed to cover the cost of a new balance exercise course for members of the charity in Swindon.

Staying active is believed to delay the progression of the disease.

“When I swim my right leg tends to drag and my fingers open so it’s difficult,” he said.

“I swam three or four times a week and started off doing half or three quarters of a kilometer. The most I did was 1.5km. But towards the end I started doing less because my leg was uncooperative.

“I have never been one to sit around doing nothing. I want to stay physically fit for as long as possible because doctors say it helps to delay Parkinson’s.

“I want to stay mentally fit as well by being part of the Swindon and District branch of Parkinson’s UK, as I am told that is equally important,” said Dave, who also takes part in Tai Chi classes.

“People with Parkinson’s often feel isolated but we want them to know there is help out there.”

Dave, a grandfather-of-two, is unsure what the future holds, but he is remaining optimistic.

“I don’t look ahead in that way. I know some people in the group much older than me who have had it much longer and they aren’t as bad as others are,” he said.

“You don’t know which way it is going to go so it is pointless worrying about it until it happens. I will keep on going to the gym, playing golf and swimming.”

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/David-Logan8.

For help or advice from the Swindon and District branch visit http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/local-support-groups/regions/south-west-england/swindon-and-district-branch. Or for the national charity visit www.parkinsons.org.uk, call 0808 800 0303 or email hello@parkinsons.org.uk.

WHAT IS PARKINSON'S?

  • Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition. One person in every 500 has Parkinson’s. That’s about 127,000 people in the UK.
  • People with Parkinson’s don't have enough of a chemical called dopamine because some nerve cells in their brain have died. Without dopamine people can find that their movements become slower so it takes longer to do things. The loss of nerve cells in the brain causes the symptoms of Parkinson’s to appear.

  • There’s currently no cure for Parkinson’s and doctors don’t yet know why people get the condition. Parkinson’s doesn’t directly cause people to die, but symptoms do get worse over time.

  • Most people who get Parkinson’s are aged 50 or over but younger people can get it too. One in 20 is under the age of 40.

  • The main symptoms include tremor (shaking), slowness of movement, rigidity (stiffness), bladder and bowel problems, eye problems, falls and dizziness, fatigue, freezing (where someone stops suddenly while walking or doing a repetitive movement), pain, and restless legs syndrome. Other symptoms can include skin, scalp and sweating problems, sleep problems, speech problems, swallowing problems, anxiety, dementia, depression, hallucinations and memory problems.

    Explaining away those shakes

DAVE Hartley, vice chairman of the Swindon and District branch of Parkinson’s UK, was diagnosed with the disease about five years ago.

The 69-year-old, of Park South, said: “When I was diagnosed, I was devastated. I drove Thamesdown buses for a living.

“First I had to tell my manager, who didn’t know anything about Parkinson’s but knew I had to inform the DVLA. Then there were my colleagues. I tried to hide it for quite some time. In the end, it was just too much and very tiring.

“I used to be known as the depot poet. If something had happened in the restroom or out on the road I would make up a poem.”

Dave wrote a poem to tell his workmates: I’M COMING OUT I shake a bit, if you haven’t seen, It’s not that I’m nervous but sometimes I have been.

I have just been told I have a horrible disease, It’s ok, it’s not catching so don’t shy away, please.

Part of my brain has decided to retire. Long before the rest of me, so this is dire. It seems that it send out a signal to part, That need information to carry out their tasks. It’s got its benefits, as you will see, An electric toothbrush has got nothing on me.

But on the whole, I am ok, It’s just that I shake, in a sort of funny way. This thing is called Parkinson’s, or PD for short. And I’m on these pills, that seem to work. It seems that I have had this for quite some time. And has just decided to let me know, that it is mine!