If you’re living with Parkinson’s, you are not alone. The condition is one of the fastest-growing neurological disorders in the world, with around 166,000 people estimated to be living with Parkinson’s in the UK.
Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition that causes problems in the brain that worsen over time and, although treatments are available, presently there is no cure for the condition. However, among other remedies, research indicates that regular exercise may improve Parkinson’s motor and non-motor symptoms as well as improve sleeping, cognitive functioning and offering a social activity to combat isolation.
Through leveraging the power of football, members of Stockport County Community Trust’s Parkinson’s Wellbeing sessions, Julia Keeling and Simon Cook, are both showing that people who receive a diagnosis can enjoy an active lifestyle.
Julia, 74, and Simon, 65, learned of their Parkinson’s diagnosis during their retirement, entirely altering the trajectory of their lives as they knew it – particularly as two individuals who took part in sport and physical activity prior to the onset of symptoms.
Simon had enjoyed playing rugby, cricket, and football alongside maintaining a thriving social life, while Julia previously worked in a high-temp role as a geriatric nurse in a housing complex for elderly people.
Their love for the on-the-go lifestyle only made their concessions more apparent while adapting to the progressive changes in their physical health.
“I began to notice some odd physical changes,” admitted Simon. “When I started to experience shaking and tremors in my hand, deep down I realised I probably had Parkinson’s, as did my wife and daughters. It took a while to get a proper diagnosis with a neurologist, and even though I had my suspicions, I was still knocked for six when it was confirmed.”
Sharing her story, Julia added: “I found myself slowing down, and unable to lift things, but it was when I started shuffling instead of walking that I realised something was very wrong.
“At the GPs, I ticked all the Parkinson’s symptoms boxes, and I was almost diagnosed there and then. My doctor was surprised that I didn’t seem too upset, but I replied “What can I do? If I’ve got Parkinson’s, I’ve got Parkinson’s. There’s no cure. I’ve just got to make the best of it.” I’ve always had a can-do attitude and my illness isn’t going to change that.”
Both Julia and Simon believed taking part in sport was out of the question, until they discovered Stockport County’s charitable arm’s Parkinson’s Wellbeing sessions.
The programme comprises two individual projects. The first, an indoor walking football session based at Cheadle Hulme’s Pro Football Arena, which takes place monthly. The second, a weekly physical activity and social wellbeing session – designed to ease and manage symptoms by utilising gentle movement – hosted at Edgeley Park and delivered by Community Trust coaches in association with Stockport NHS Foundation Trust’s physiotherapy service. Both sessions are open to all ages and abilities and for all stages of Parkinson’s diagnosis….
CONTINUE READING at source: https://www.efl.com/news/2026/april/10/stockport-county-change-lives-through-parkinson-s-awareness-programme/
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Author: The Walking Football
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