Half marathon for Parkinson's UK in memory of dad

I never knew much about Parkinson’s until my father, Chris Christou was diagnosed with the condition. I can’t even say when he was first diagnosed as he wasn’t the type to complain or share hardships he was going through. My father was a mechanic by trade who ran his own business and he’d never take time off work, even when ill. I first noticed something was ‘off’ when my dad whilst talking to people, would hold his right arm behind his back with his hand in an upward claw like position. Naturally, I didn’t think much of it at the time because I was young and had no clue about Parkinsons.

Looking back at YouTube videos, it’s now so obvious for me to see the early signs of his Parkinson’s, as his right arm tremors in this video from 11 years ago.

Dad loved building things and his love for classic cars was clear to see. Originally called ‘Mr Beetle’, he restored VW Beetles to the customers specification. They would choose the year of the beetle they want plus paint colour, seat material, alloys and more. Dad would then set out looking for a Beetle shell of that specific year, before restoring it to the customer's spec. The look on customers faces as he unveiled the finished product to them was always a treat to see as a giant smile would often spread across their face.

Dad appearing on the front cover of VW motoring February 1991.

As time went on, I don’t remember how I found out but it became apparent that dad was struggling to work at the same pace that he used to. Hands are a mechanics best friend and dexterity is so important, lots of lifting, fiddly screws to handle not to mention a range of tools to use. It was still hard to comprehend what was happening and eventually I was told by a relative, (I can’t remember who), that dad had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

To that, I did some research and found that it’s not well understood what causes Parkinson’s, and there is currently no cure. In fact, Parkinson's is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world and 1 in 37 people alive today in the UK will be diagnosed with Parkinson's in their lifetime.

Eventually dads Parkinson’s got worse to the point where he had to give up his career as a mechanic as the tremors got worse. He was forced into an early retirement and given his love for art, started to paint and bird watch.

Couple of dads art pieces

With every month that passed, dads Parkinson’s worsened. There was also an ordeal when it came to finding the right balance of medication for him. Sinemet would help with the tremors but caused him shortness of breath. It was a viscous cycle of either taking the medication to help control the tremors but a side effect of breathing difficulties, or not take the medication and have uncontrollable tremors leading to falls and physical injury. Dad settled into taking the medication then going for a walk for 20 minutes. The walk often helped provide some relief from the shortness of breath.

I saw first hand with dad how every day was a battle to control the symptoms of Parkinson's. What followed in dad’s later years of living with Parkinson’s was a sprained wrist, loss of weight, breathing difficulties, falls which led to multiple hospital visits, emergency paramedics coming to see dad and the list continued. It got to a stage where just having a solid conversation with dad for a few minutes was so precious as he would often be in no condition to talk because of the violent tremors, and the lack of strength in his voice. Dad had all his mental faculties yet was unable to express himself because of the debilitating nature of his Parkinson’s.

Despite the challenges of living with Parkinson’s, I’m chuffed that dad was able to see me get married last year.

Brother, dad, me.

I’m glad we got to spend last Christmas with him too. I remember the last time we saw dad. The family was all saying how he looked good, strong. His medication seemed to have balanced itself out, he was in a regular routine of taking the medication and managing the side effects.

Sadly, we received word that he had been admitted to hospital with coronavirus during the first week of January. Due to the long-standing nature of dads Parkinson’s, he was at greater risk of complications arising from coronavirus and it was this that caused Dad to pass away unexpectedly on 6th January 2023, aged 68.

In his memory, I've chosen to run a half marathon on his one-year death anniversary of 6th January 2024 in Battersea Park, in order to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK. Any contribution would be massively appreciated and will help fund Parkinson’s research into finding a cure, support initiatives, awareness campaigns and supporting those living with Parkinson’s. Together, we can make a difference.

If you’re not in a position to contribute financially, please share this campaign with your friends and family. The more awareness we have, the more support we can muster.

Finally, if you're free on that day and would be up for making the journey, you’re more than welcome to come and cheer me on as I run the half marathon in Battersea Park on the 6th of January 2024 . Your presence would mean the world to me.

Thank you for your love, support, and generosity.