A grandad from Malpas is taking on one of the biggest challenges of his life for a charity close to his heart.
At the age of 51, John Saunders, of Greenfields Lane, is one of 127,000 people in the UK to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and, two years after his diagnosis, he’s doing everything he can to raise awareness of the disease.
Last year he decided to bungee jump more than 140ft off a New Zealand bridge to raise vital funds for Parkinson’s UK which conducts research into finding a cure for the progressive neurological condition.
Now John is setting himself the biggest challenge yet as he prepares to scale 19,000 ft up Mount Kilimanjaro in October – funding the entire challenge himself.
John, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in April 2012 after years of symptoms including neck spasms and frozen shoulder, said he wants to raise at least £10,000 for the charity.
He told The Chronicle: “Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition. People with the disease don't have enough of a chemical called dopamine because some nerve cells in their brain have died.
“Without dopamine people can find that their movements become slower so it takes longer to do things.
“There's currently no cure for Parkinson's and we don't yet know why people get the condition.
“It doesn't directly cause people to die, but symptoms do get worse over time and every hour someone in the UK is told they have Parkinson's.
“Better treatments and ultimately a cure are needed - which requires funding for research.
“That's why I'm taking on and funding this challenge, so that 100% of all contributions are donated,” added John, who manages a software company.
“If every one of my family and friends donates just £1 for each year that they have known me, I am well on the way to achieving my target!
“It would be wonderful to smash both the £10,000 target and help to smash Parkinson's too.”
You can donate to John’s cause by visiting his Justgiving page: www.justgiving.com/John-Saunders-Kilimanjaro.
