Why has there been no progress curing Parkinson's in half a CENTURY?

April 10, 2017

Charity warns drugs are falling behind after Wirral woman reveals grim reality of disease

Michelle Harvey from Moreton, 45, lives with early onset Parkinson's Disease (Photo: Victoria Tetley)

A leading charity says the hunt for a cure for Parkinson’s is falling behind other drugs - with little progress in half a century.

Parkinson’s UK said their research also showed widespread ignorance about the degenerative condition, with around half of people in the northwest believing it can be prevented.

It comes after a Wirral woman who began showing signs of the disease when she was just 37 said she now felt “stuck like a mannequin”.

Michelle Harvey, now 42, from Moreton, said she often felt so rigid and weak before taking her pills that she was unable to even lift them to her mouth.

The former secretary and mum-of-two said the drugs she took often allowed her a “window of opportunity” where she could use her body as normal, but said it only lasted a few hours before she became stiff and had to rest.

• I was diagnosed with Parkinson's before I reached my 40th birthday
• She said she just wanted to be able to do things like taking her son to the park, and was hoping for breakthroughs in research that could give her a few more hours’ of family time.
  The head of Parkinson’s UK said a whole generation of people with the condition faced an uncertain future knowing their condition would not improve without such a breakthrough.
  Steve Ford, chief executive of the charity, said some new drugs had been developed but none were able to slow down, stop or cure the condition, with the same main drug used as 50 years ago - levodopa.
  He said: “In the past 200 years we have made many strides forward, but people with Parkinson’s are still waiting for a treatment that can tackle the condition head on.”
  “Parkinson’s can leave people struggling to walk, talk and sleep. Today, we say we won’t wait any longer.
  “That’s why we’re urgently asking people to donate, in our first ever public fundraising campaign, whatever they can to support our vital work. We won’t tolerate Parkinson’s treatments falling behind.”
  Mrs Harvey told the ECHO: “People don’t realise how it destroys your life.
  “I’m very fortunate to have a supportive family, but everything you ever had planned has to be stopped and rethought. I can’t just go to the park with my son.
  “I had no idea about Parkinson’s. It started on a finger on my left hand, which kept having cramps.
  “It was only when I was really struggling to drive and asked to be referred that I was diagnosed.”

  “It doesn’t matter what age you are, if you have possible symptoms you should be examined quickly and thoroughly.”

  Let us know your experiences of Parkinson’s disease by emailing tom.belger@trinitymirror.com, and visit the Parkinson’s UK website for more information.

  http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/been-no-progress-curing-parkinsons-12871241