THE family of a Billericay man have turned his heartbreaking fight with Parkinson’s disease and Multiple Systems Atrophy into a film in a bid to raise awareness of the conditions.
Paul Norman, former English teacher at the Billericay School, saw his life turned upside down in 2004 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after he started having problems writing on the board at school, meaning that he had to retire from the profession he loved aged just 50.
However, his symptoms progressed at a rate that was uncommon for a Parkinson’s sufferer, which led doctors to re-diagnose him with Multiple Systems Atrophy (MSA) in 2012, a more severe neurological condition with an average prognosis of nine years.
A few years ago his son Will started filming his dad, aware that their time together would be affected and significantly shortened by this re-diagnosis.
Initially, he planned for the film to be a short piece as a way of preserving their relationship through film, as he had done with his family through home videos.
However, the film grew and grew, leading to the involvement of a video production company and it has evolved into a 67-minute film - One Last Lecture.
In April last year, Paul lost his brave fight with the conditions aged just 58.
Will, 22, a student, of Martindale Avenue, in Noak Bridge, says the film documents his dad’s disease, how it affected his dad’s “relationships, his self-image and his deterioration.”
He said: “The ambition is to get exposure and show just how it affected my dad.
“It was heartbreaking to watch how it affected him, and for a long time I felt I couldn’t talk about it. When I came back from my first term at uni I saw him in a wheelchair for the first time.
“It was tough knowing he wouldn’t be around forever, and there was one time when he choked on some food, but for the Heimlich manoeuvre, something a lot worse could have happened.
“He asked me to convert some videos for him, so it means we have a lot of old footage on there too. I guess it’s appropriate because dad was very creative with his lessons, and was always filming.
“It took several years to put together, and we really hope it can raise awareness of both Parkinson’s and MSA and for people to see just how it affects families.”
http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/15074722.__39_I_filmed_my_dad___s_brave_fight_with_Parkinson___s__39____Son_of_popular_teacher_reveals_heartbreaking_film/#
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