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<\/p>\nTwo years ago, Canberra nurse Hannah Lindsay started running; later this month, she will take part in the gruelling Sydney Marathon, a 42-kilometre challenge, to raise money for research into Parkinson\u2019s disease \u2013 a condition that her father and two uncles all have.<\/p>\n
Hannah is raising $2,220 for Shake It Up Australia, which funds research aimed at developing better treatments and ultimately finding a cure for Parkinson\u2019s disease. The Sydney Marathon will be her third fundraising race for the foundation.<\/p>\n
\u201cParkinson\u2019s isn\u2019t talked about enough; it\u2019s taken someone close to me being diagnosed to motivate me to do it,\u201d Ms Lindsay said. \u201cBut I wish it wasn\u2019t that way. I don\u2019t want people to wait until it\u2019s something that\u2019s personally impacting them. It\u2019d be nice if we could be proactive and fund research. There are treatments available to slow symptoms \u2013 but it doesn\u2019t stop forever. I don\u2019t think anyone likes something being out there that doesn\u2019t have a cure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parkinson\u2019s disease is the fastest-growing neurological disorder in the world. It involves the loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells in a part of the brain that controls movement. Although many people think it involves shakes and tremors, the condition can manifest without them. Symptoms can include slow movement, stiffness, and balance problems. It affects cognition, mobility, speech, swallowing, digestion, mood, sleep, and all five senses. No two people experience Parkinson\u2019s the same way.<\/p>\n
Ten to 20 per cent of all people with Parkinson\u2019s experience symptoms before they turn 50 \u2013 most famously, actor Michael J. Fox, star of Back to the Future, was diagnosed with the condition at the age of 29.<\/p>\n
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Ms Lindsay\u2019s father, David, aged 70, was diagnosed three years ago. He is one of nine siblings, and three of the brothers have Parkinson\u2019s. He had always been fit and health-conscious, and remains active: he still runs and cycles; can do push-ups and pull-ups; and enjoys making woodwork and metalwork pieces for the garden.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s still trying his best to keep active,\u201d Ms Lindsay said. \u201cHe\u2019s doing a good job, and he just has to do things a little bit slower now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parkinson\u2019s has affected his posture and mobility, and he has to consciously pick up his feet to reduce the risk of falling while running.<\/p>\n
Years before his diagnosis, Mr Lindsay lost his sense of smell \u2013 a symptom the Lindsays did not associate with Parkinson\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cHad we known that could potentially be happening, perhaps he would have had his diagnosis sooner,\u201d Ms Lindsay said.<\/p>\n
Ms Lindsay\u2019s connection to Parkinson\u2019s is also professional. While studying nursing at the University of Canberra, she received the $1,500 Alan Richardson Scholarship, awarded to a student\u00a0interested in the condition. During medical and aged-care placements, she met patients with Parkinson\u2019s; she says her father\u2019s diagnosis gave her a new understanding of what patients could be experiencing.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving awareness helps nurses to provide better care.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sydney Marathon will be held on Sunday 30 August. Runners cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge, go through Centennial Park and the Royal Botanic Gardens, and finish at the Sydney Opera House. It will be Ms Lindsay\u2019s first full marathon, and she says she\u2019s feeling both excited and daunted.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you ask my parents, they\u2019ll say I never enjoyed running,\u201d Ms Lindsay said.<\/p>\n
A friend persuaded her to join a park run in 2024. She began enjoying small improvements: five kilometres, then seven, 10\u2026<\/p>\n
Now, in her day job as a graduate nurse doing shift work, she spends much of the working day on her feet. She runs once or twice during the week; completes a long run on Saturday; then plays hockey on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ran a half marathon this weekend just past; that was a really big deal to me a few months ago,\u201d Ms Lindsay said. \u201cTo see where I am now and just running it casually is a bit mind-blowing to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Lindsay expects the final kilometres of the marathon to be difficult, but says having her parents there to watch would help.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoing something genuinely outside my comfort zone gives people something tangible to get behind,\u201d Ms Lindsay said. \u201cI\u2019m not just asking people to donate; I\u2019m taking on a pretty big challenge myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Support Hannah Lindsay\u2019s fundraising here: https:\/\/sm26.grassrootz.com\/shakeitup\/hannah-lindsay<\/a><\/p>\n