A dad of three drove home in "floods of tears" every night before his "devastating" diagnosis with an incurable condition.
Laurie Sephton, from Widnes, couldn't understand why he struggled to put contact lenses in due to a tremor in his hand that got progressively worse. For months, he 'suffered in silence', not wanting to worry his family with indefinite news, but his hope faded the more his hand shook when he was hungry, anxious, or too hot or too cold.
At 38 years old, Laurie was one of the fewer than 1.2% of people with a diagnosis of Parkinson's who are under the age of 50. Parkinson's is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, affecting one in 37 people alive today in the UK. It causes brain problems that become worse over time, often first appearing as a loss of smell years before visible symptoms like hand tremors, slow movement and stiffness occur.
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Laurie, now 47, said: "I thought it was an old person's disease. I had no idea you could get it at 38. I also thought it was probably just shaking, but it's a lot more than just your tremor. Stiffness is a major problem. The chemical we're missing produces dopamine, and dopamine gives you all your pleasure in doing things, so anxiety and depression are quite prevalent in people with Parkinson's."
He initially shied away from mixing with other people with Parkinson's when he was first diagnosed, not wanting to face up to what his future might be. Encouraged by his wife, Laurie joined a Parkinson's boxing club in Widnes, and later started playing football with Northern Lights, a Crosby-based football team for people with Parkinson's, which won the first Sport Parkinson's Walking Football Cup at St George's Park national football centre last summer.
Joining transformed his experience of the condition from the loneliness of pre-diagnosis to the community of a team that understands what he's going through while keeping him fit. Laurie said: "I used to play a lot of five-a-side football and I stopped that, so I only started playing again in 2021. I didn't realise anyone with Parkinson's could play football, but there's a team in Crosby called Northern Lights, so I started playing with them.
"I was absolutely amazed the first time I went down to see people shaking, limping, a terrible gait, and then we walk onto a pitch and it's like something miraculous takes over them, symptoms disappear and something else in the brain kicks in, like muscle memory, and you can go back to playing like you used to.
"I've literally seen people not be able to walk into the grounds and then you get them onto the pitch and they're transformed. It's amazing."
Exercising is crucial for keeping some of the more than 40 symptoms of Parkinson's at bay by opening new neural pathways in the brain, which helps it stay strong and active. Medication mostly got rid of Laurie's symptoms for two years before becoming less effective, meaning he couldn't walk between meetings or control his tremors.
As an alternative, he started deep brain stimulation with The Walton Centre in November 2021. The treatment, which can be used for roughly one in ten people with Parkinson's, aims to modify brain activity with a constant electric pulse transmitted by fine electrodes implanted into parts of the brain that control movement. It is particularly useful for reducing hand tremors and can last for at least five years, according to
Laurie said: "It's brain surgery, so I was a bit worried about that, but The Walton Centre was amazing, putting me at ease throughout the process. I was in and out in two or three days."
Alison Monaghan, Parkinson's disease specialist nurse practitioner at specialist neurology and neurosurgery trust, The Walton Centre, said: "It's important to raise awareness of Parkinson's Disease and address the stigmas that can sometimes be attached to a diagnosis. Getting the most appropriate treatment and also the right level of support is incredibly important too.
"We have a team of specialist nurses here to support patients, families and carers by signposting them to appropriate community groups and services, so it's amazing to see patients embracing these and feeling empowered after their diagnosis."
