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Specialist Parkinson's nurse Linda Shaw, 62, of
Gosport, who has been a leading figure at Parkinson's UK Fareham and District
Branch, is retiring after 13 years with the support group Picture: Tom
Cotterill
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SHE has been a supportive
shoulder to cry on for hundreds of people coping with Parkinson’s Disease in
the area.
And now, after 13 years helping to lead
Parkinson’s UK Fareham and District Branch, specialist Parkinson’s nurse Linda
Shaw is finally calling it a day.
The 62-year-old was given a fitting send-off by
dozens of the group’s members during its coffee morning at the Crofton
Community Centre, Stubbington Lane, Fareham.
Linda said: ‘It’s been wonderful. I have no regrets
at all about my career.
‘I really will miss everyone a great deal –
it’s like a big family.
‘Saying goodbye these last couple of weeks has
been heart-wrenching.’
Linda played a pivotal role in getting the
support group off the ground when she joined it in 2003.
Since then, the network of people she cares for
has boomed, with some 950 on her books across the county – with 500 of these in
Gosport and Fareham alone.
She juggled family commitments with taking
night classes to pass her O-levels.
On becoming a nurse, she worked at St Mary’s
Hospital, rising to be a senior staff nurse. Paying tribute to her, Alan
Causer, chairman of the Parkinson’s UK branch in Fareham, said: ‘She has been a
tremendous character.
‘She is so well-liked and respected by the
medical profession and by patients.
‘She’s had a significant impact on hundreds of
people and will be sorely missed by so many.’
Linda, who lives with her husband Peter, 69, in
Bridgemary Grove, Gosport, said she now wants to turn her attention to her family.
They’ve been so amazing, Peter especially. But I
now want to be there for my grandchildren and children,’ said the
grandmother-of-six.
http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/health/gosport-nurse-retires-after-helping-hundreds-of-families-through-parkinson-s-trauma-1-7192242
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