'Living with Parkinson's disease means no games of Jenga or Buckaroo for us'

Brothers: Grant and Gary Jamieson have both been struck down with Parkinsons in their 20s

• Oct.30, 2015
• BY JAMES MONCUR
• Parkinson's disease is widely thought of as an ailment that only strikes the elderly.
  But for brothers Grant and Gary Jamieson the fact it can also hit the young has become a living nightmare.
  The siblings, from Dundee, were diagnosed with the disease in their 20s, reports the Daily Record.
  Doctors said the chances of them both getting the degenerative neurological condition so young was akin to the pair each winning the National Lottery – twice. 
  The pair are refusing to let it control their lives and want to highlight how it affects young people and kickstart a fundraising campaign to help others.
  Gary, 34, has been coping with Parkinson’s for more than 10 years while Grant, 29, was diagnosed this year.

  

  Support: Gary has been dealing with his condition much longer than his brother

  We are cracking on as best we can," Gary said. "We’ve also developed a black sense of humour to help deal with things."
  “My shakes can be quite bad so there aren’t many games of family Jenga, Buckaroo or Operation going on at the moment," he added.
  Gary, who is single, first noticed symptoms in 2004, aged just 21.
  He said: “It was little things to begin with.
  "My hands would shake to such an extent that in shops I just used notes because coins were too difficult to handle.
  "But it was two years before Parkinson’s was diagnosed.”
  Grant, a porter at Ninewells Hospital , added: “Our parents are carriers of the Park2 gene that can lead to Parkinson’s and we have just been really unlucky that they got together, had us and the gene was passed on and we developed the illness.”
  Gary’s partner Jen and daughter Abbie are supporting him through his illness.
  He added: “We want to get the message out there about Parkinson’s in the young.
  “It can strike anyone of any age – and the more society knows about it, the better.”
  Gary and Grant aim to raise £10,000 in a year for Parkinson’s UK. See facebook.com/Jamiesons-vs-Parkinsons for details.

  http://health.einnews.com/article/294305505/NqVLXP9Mbt8zYruP