A dad was told his spasms were a 'trapped nerve' before he was given a life-changing diagnosis.
Steven Swindells began having the sudden movements, which his daughter Emily thought was a nerve issue - and medics agreed.
But as things got worse, Emily took her dad to hospital, the Manchester Evening News reports.
She said: “His arm just started shaking and spasming.
“I took him to A&E and the doctor said it was a trapped nerve, but I knew that wasn’t right.”
He enjoyed an active lifestyle and regularly went on holiday jet skiing.
The dad-of-two would also juggle his sporty lifestyle with running his plumbing firm and constantly kept himself busy.
But his world turned upside down when he suddenly became unwell five years ago.
The now 51-year-old was out driving with his daughter Emily when his hands and toes began uncontrollably twitching.
His bizarre symptoms went undiagnosed for weeks until his family finally received the news they were dreading: Steven had Parkinson’s disease and he was then just 46-years-old.
Emily, from Didsbury, Manchester said: “I didn’t think he had Parkinson’s because he has a physical job so we thought it was a trapped nerve.
“A few weeks later, we knew it definitely wasn’t a trapped nerve because it was getting worse.
"He was 46 when he got diagnosed, which is really young for Parkinson’s. The doctor knew straight away that he had it.
“We were all heartbroken because we didn’t know what it meant.
"I don’t think there’s a lot of awareness about Parkinson’s because I thought you just shook a bit, but it’s so much more than that. It’s heartbreaking how serious it can be.
“He’s had to have counselling; it’s affected our family. We’re the only family he has.
"There’s not that much research about Parkinson’s like cancer, but he’s losing his memory, he stutters and he chokes on food.
"We went out for tea and took our friends with us and my dad started choking and I knew exactly what to do because I was used to it.”
Due to his deteriorating condition, Steven and his wife Lisa have now made their company home-based.
Their son Matthew, 18, has joined the business as an apprentice. and they he will take the reins one day.
Recruitment consultant Emily is to honour her dad raising funds for Parkinson’s Care and Support UK, a charity which has helped support the family through difficult times.
The 22-year-old will take part in the Manchester Half Marathon on October 9 and through a GoFund Me page has already raised almost £1,500.
Emily added: “We’ve had to learn to adapt to how my dad is thinking and how he’s feeling.
"It’s hard because sometimes he doesn’t process stuff and can get upset and angry or say something.
“It’s made us closer, but me and my dad used to go on holiday a lot and jet skiing was our thing.
"You can see him deteriorating and he can’t join in on things like that. That’s why I wanted to do something that makes him feel proud.
“It’s sad really because I see Snapchat memories of what he used to be like and he’s not the same anymore. It’s hard to deal with and you wish you’d spent more time with him before.”
