Meet the man who walked away his Parkinson's disease

Sunshine Coast Daily News.

John Pepper

Brandt Teale | 18th Feb 2016 

AT 81 YEARS of age, the first thing that strikes you about John Pepper is how fit he is.

He walks for an hour every day at a cracking-fast pace, and has an exercise and movement regime that keeps his body active and healthy.

In fact, he seems a picture of health.

It's hard to imaging he has suffered Parkinson's disease for most of his life.

"In 1963, when I was in my late twenties, I suddenly found that I was unable to throw a ball properly. That was the beginning of the Parkinson's," he said.

"Many years later, while I was playing darts, I suddenly found I couldn't release the dart properly. Darts became a dangerous and exciting game with much laughter in our family, because I wouldn't just miss the board when I did release the dart, I would miss it by a mile.

"In the mid to late '60s, without knowing it, I had become extremely depressed. My wife pointed out that I had become withdrawn and antisocial and that nothing seemed to interest me anymore.

"Then, one day in 1982, I was invited to play bowls at a Rotary fellowship event, and again, my hand wouldn't let go. When it did, the bowls would go flying up in the air, making a big dent in the green when landing.

"I was also finding it increasingly difficult to walk across uneven ground without stumbling."

About 10 years later, Mr Pepper was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, an incurable and degenerative disease that affects muscle control and movement comprehension, which he described as a slow and undignified dying process.

Mr Pepper, from Cape Town in South Africa, visited the Sunshine Coast this week for a Parkinson's seminar at Maroochydore's Waterfront Hotel, where he talked about his life's journey.

But it wasn't a tale of woe.

Quite the contrary.

"There is no cure for Parkinson's disease but I have found a specific regime of physical exercise and using the conscious brain to control actions can help many of us overcome our own debilitating symptoms," he said.

"In the 1990s I was doing a lot of walking and I suddenly realised that if I thought really hard about my body's movements, I could control them better and overcome the falling and clumsy movements.

"The thing about Parkinson's is not that your body can't do things properly, it's just that the brain is not getting the message through.

"So, a simple job that we all do without thinking, like walking or eating, becomes complicated.

"I found that if I broke down each movement in my head and concentrated hard, I could teach my body to do things in a normal way.

"I just realised that Parkinson's does not have to be a death sentence."

He now travels the world to share his methods of disease management, addressing Parkinson's awareness groups, help-provider services, medical forums and public seminars.

The spritely octogenarian has also written a book, Reverse Parkinson's Disease, which candidly tells of his experiences and how to manage the disease.

His tour continues to Victoria and Tasmania, and then to New Zealand, Canada and the US.

Details on Mr Pepper's tour, his book and other information can be found at http://www.reverseparkinsons.net.

To see video go to:

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/Meet-the-man-who-walked-away-his-Parkinsons/2935642/