One disease – but two have to cope

"I suddenly found that we were snapping at each much more than we had ever done," says Sandra, from Appleton Roebuck, near York. "It is difficult sometimes being a carer. Everyone asks about John, but very few people ask how I am doing."

John, 71, was a very sporty person. A keen footballer, cricket and rugby player in his youth, as he grew older he took up golf and his beloved tennis.

It was while playing tennis two years ago that he realised that something was wrong.

"I just couldn't reach the ball. My body moved towards it but my legs wouldn't move," says John. Two of his fellow players were retired doctors and suggested John get checked out for Parkinson's

"If it hadn't been for these friends then it would have been another year at least before he got diagnosed," says Sandra. "We are very grateful to them."

They struggled to get a definitive diagnosis for a few months, which has led Sandra to urge doctors to learn more about the condition.

"We did eventually find a Parkinson's nurse in York who said he was definitely suffering from Parkinson's, but we had been warned about the side-effects from medication and so wanted to leave that as long as possible," she added.

John doesn't suffer from the hand and head shakes often associated with Parkinson's. His main problem is balance and what the couple have dubbed his walking "stutters".

"I can be walking along on the flat quite happily and then have to stop for some reason and I can't get going again. It seems to take ages for my brain to tell my feet to start working again."

Sandra says it was particularly bad on a recent holiday to Portugal, where people blamed too much alcohol.

"People at the football and cricket are used to me now and have a good joke," says John.

But is it clear that it has been a strain for both of them.

"My handwriting, never the neatest, is now undecipherable, with the result that Sandra has to write the Christmas cards, fill in raffle ticket stubs and address envelopes," explains John.

"Sandra is now the main car driver and has had to learn how to put petrol in the car. She has to do most of the gardening as I cannot use the lawnmower any more. There are many other cases of extra jobs which she finds frustrating including ordering drinks at the bar – I am unable to go because of my problem with balance."

No longer able to get out walking and playing tennis, John decided to write a book.

"I have already written one book on walks around the village with our neighbour and local historical Marjorie Harrison and she suggested I should write one about my sporting memories."

So for the last nine months John has been putting together Memories of a Sporting Man.

A lifelong Huddersfield Town supporter, John's book chronicles his years playing almost every local sport.

All profits will go to the Parkinson's Disease Society. John has dedicated his book to Sandra "for her continued support and patience"'

Memories of a Sporting Man by John Waterhouse is priced 12.99, log on to www.ypd-books.co.uk or send a cheque to 6 Northfield Way, Appleton Roebuck, York, YO23 7EA, email [email protected] or call 01904 744215.

DISORDER THAT STRIKES BRAIN

Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition affecting movements such as walking, talking, and writing. It is named after Dr James Parkinson (1755-1824), the London doctor who first identified it.

Parkinson's occurs as result of a loss of nerve cells in a part of the brain which produces a chemical known as dopamine, which allows messages to be sent to areas that co-ordinate movement.

One in 500 people, around 120,000 people, have Parkinson's. About 10,000 people in the UK are diagnosed each year.

Symptoms first appear, on average, when a patient is older than 50, but one in 20 of those diagnosed each year will be aged under 40.

The risk increases with age. Some people may not be diagnosed until they are in their 70s or 80s.