By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
TWO women from Casey have a lot in common but the biggest thing they share is something they wish they didn’t have to – Parkinson’s Disease.
But retired art teachers Anne Atkin from Hallam and Marthese Davies from Narre Warren have found many ways to make it bearable to live with Parkinson’s.
One of the best examples of this is the upcoming Walk in the Park, organised by Parkinson’s Victoria and held in Federation Square next Sunday 25 August.
Ms Atkin, who along with Ms Davies has taken part in the walk since its inception, said it has grown considerably over the years.
“It’s not just about fundraising for Parkinson’s Victoria, it’s about helping people on the walk to deal with Parkinson’s,” she said.
“It’s one of those things I continue to do, to make the community aware of Parkinson’s.”
The need to raise awareness is a sentiment shared by Ms Davies who said Parkinson’s can often be misdiagnosed because the symptoms aren’t always overtly obvious.
“People don’t realise how hard it is to go from specialist to specialist and be told nothing’s wrong with you,” she said.
“Sometimes you have this feeling and you’re shaking and sometimes you don’t.
“Every day is different, sometimes you feel like you can take on the world, other times you can’t.”
As many as 80,000 Australians have Parkinson’s Disease and every day another 25 people are diagnosed with the illness.
The Walk in the Park, which can be either a two or four kilometre trek along the Yarra, encourages people to donate money to raising awareness about the disease.
Ms Atkin, who last month released her second book on Parkinson’s, understands how detrimental the illness can be and started up Painting with Parkinson’s in 2006 to help other people learn how to live with the disease.
Ms Atkin and Ms Davies are passionate about the group which has given many people with Parkinson’s a re-invigorated lease on life.
“It’s therapeutic to the central nervous system to paint and it makes you use both sides of your brain,” Ms Atkin said.
“It helps release serotonin and endorphins. You relax so much you forget you have the tea on the stove!”
While Ms Atkin and Ms Davies share the same illness, they also share a determination not to let it ever get the better of them.
“I don’t fight it,” Ms Atkin said.
“I fight to have a life with it.”
To register for Parkinson’s Victoria’s Walk in the Park, visit parkinsonswalk.com.au/take-part/registration-information.
