Parkinson’s sufferer Danny Lavender is determined to not let the disease beat him. To mark Parkinson’s Awareness Week he spoke to ROBERT FISK about his fight and how he is battling to help others.
CLIMBING the 836 steps of The Gherkin over and over again is not something most able bodied people would contemplate, let alone be able to do.
But Danny Lavender managed to take on the challenge for eight hours before his body could not take anymore.
This steps challenge is just the latest endurance event for the 49-year-old who has committed himself to raising as much money for Parkinson’s UK as possible.
He is also committed to raising awareness of the disease and becoming a role model to other sufferers to inspire them.
Mr Lavender, of Broomhill Road, Orpington, said: “I was inspired by reading about Alex Flynn who channelled his anger and frustration by doing extreme challenges.
“He inspired me and he is a great friend now.
“The challenges help me by keeping me fresh and keeping my mind active and positive and a lot of people say I inspire them.
“It is all about how you programme the mind to deal with adversity.
“I believe if people can have this inspiration they can deal with it in a positive way.
“I’m prepared to go to the edge and beyond in raising awareness.”
Mr Lavender works as a civil servant but next month he is leaving his job in order to do motivational speaking about how he is battling Parkinson’s.
And he also is planning to set up a self-efficacy academy to help people learn how to deal with the condition.
He said: “Now is the time for people to take back control and management of their condition by understanding how nutrition, exercise and alternative therapies can help conditions.
“Motivational speaking is the way I believe I can get the message out there.”
Go to beatparkinsons.co.uk for more information about Mr Lavender’s fight.
LIVING WITH PARKINSON’S
Mr Lavender said: “A lot of people do not understand the everyday battle and the pain that we get.
“People do not understand that we get pain when concentrating and it affects every bodily function, mental and physical.
“I do not plan. People plan for the future and they do not live in the moment.
“At the end of the day I have little control over the future.
“People should take every day and live for the moment.
“I appreciate every day I can walk whereas other people take it for granted.”
WHAT IS PARKINSON’S?
Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition.
One in every 500 people has Parkinson’s. That’s about 620 people in Bromley borough.
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.
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 it is not yet known why people get the condition.
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