A pair of Dundee brothers who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease before they were 30 have said that they are not embarrassed about the
condition they suffer from.
This comes after Parkinson’s UK, a charity that helps sufferers of the
disease, announced today that one in three Parkinson’s sufferers hide or lie about their symptoms.
Gary and Grant Jamieson told The Courier the chances of them both having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s under the age of 30 was the same as winning the lottery jackpot two Saturdays in a row.
Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder that can affect movement, cause tremors and stiff and inflexible muscles.
They try to live as normal a life as possible, socialising and attending
football matches, but older brother Gary, 34, admits that life is not easy.
Gary had lived with the symptoms for a year before he was diagnosed in 2006, and had been treated for back pain and muscle spasms.
It was not until a neurologist noticed some of the tell-tale Parkinson’s
symptoms that a diagnosis was made.
“Coming off of the original medication was an absolute nightmare, and I struggled at first changing to the tablets.
“If it wasn’t for my family, I don’t think I would have managed it.”
“The Parkinson’s UK charity was and still is hugely supportive, and my mother and father were both rocks.
When younger brother Grant, 29, was diagnosed in 2015 they were able to identify almost immediately what was wrong.
Gary said: “It was bad enough when I got diagnosed, but it felt like a kick in the teeth when Grant was diagnosed with Parkinson’s as well.”
Grant is still able to work in his job as a hospital porter and Gary now spends his time working with Parkinson’s UK as a spokesperson.
