In 2020, while out walking her dog, Vicky Rees-Davies’s husband noticed that she was dragging her left foot. She brushed it off, attributing it to fatigue from excessive exercise.

However, a few weeks later, while attempting a dance routine at the gym, Vicky realised she was struggling to execute the moves on her left side. Vicky, a 50-year-old woman who lives in Somerset, noticed that her left arm didn’t swing when she walked.

A quick Google search revealed this could be a symptom of a serious illness. Her worst fears were confirmed when she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the age of 47.

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Vicky was no stranger to the disease, having watched both her mother and grandmother battle it. “As a small child, my grandmother had Parkinson’s,” Vicky shared.

“The only thing I remember from that is going into a nursing home to see her and her shuffling and her hands shaking. My mother also had Parkinson’s, but it was in the era of having a very British stiff upper lip, so she actually didn’t tell us for 10 years.

“People experience Parkinson’s in very different ways, and there are over 100 different types of Parkinson’s. I think we all have the image of the elderly man, bent over, shuffling and shaking. But it’s not always the case.

“Some of the symptoms that you can get are a masked face, so you can look angry, so I thought that she was annoyed at me a lot of the time. When she began to feel that she couldn’t hide her symptoms anymore, she told us, so I’ve experienced Parkinson’s as a granddaughter and a daughter.”

Vicky’s personal experiences with her mother and grandmother led her to seek medical advice from her GP, reports Somerset Live. A few months later, a letter arrived confirming that she too had Parkinson’s disease.

Despite the initial shock, Vicky was determined to find positivity in her diagnosis. “I’m really upbeat and positive, and always think about how lucky I am,” she shares.

Vicky Rees-Davies
Vicky Rees-Davies was diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson’s aged just 47 (Image: Vicky Rees-Davies/Cover Images)

“But when you get that letter through the post with the diagnosis, when you turn over the paper, there is no mention of any support groups or anything. I thought it was awful that there was nothing on the letter because there are so many support groups and so many amazing people out there that can help.”

Vicky couldn’t shake off the thought of others struggling after receiving similar news, and decided to lend a hand. “Everyone has stuff going on,” she says.

“I thought ‘it is what it is, so let’s just try and make the best of it’. I got in touch with various charities, joined some support groups, and started interviewing people with Parkinson’s to find out about it.

“I did lots of research and found out that exercise is the best thing for Parkinson’s.” Armed with this knowledge and her background as a personal trainer, Vicky decided to use her skills to assist others battling the disease.

She began running regular exercise classes for those with Parkinson’s and even took part in a sponsored skydive to raise funds. Vicky, a fitness instructor, has signed up for the marathon this year to raise money for Parkinson’s UK.

She said: “As a fitness instructor, I was thinking, ‘does this mean I’ll have to give up my job? I thought, ‘Well, I’m not going to give it up until I can’t do it, and my medication helps me do it’.

Vicky Rees-Davies
Vicky Rees-Davies (Image: Vicky Rees-Davies/Cover Images)

“The thing with Parkinson’s is your balance can go and obviously, as we age we can be prone to osteoporosis. We really need strength in our muscles to protect our bones, because if our balance is bad, then falling can become a big issue.

“But if we can build up strength around our muscles, then if we do fall, we’re less likely to fracture or break bones. A lot of my classes are focused around strength, and I did a series of strength classes including kettlebell and dumbbells for Parkinson’s UK.

“I now run weekly exercise classes for those struggling with Parkinson’s, as well as one-to-one personal training sessions. Exercise gives us those happy endorphins, and it can really help with Parkinson’s. It’s so important.

“There are lots of people that do exercise classes for people with Parkinson’s, which is amazing, and I’m not taking anything away from that, but sometimes it’s quite nice for people if it’s led by someone who actually has Parkinson’s and therefore can understand a little bit about how they might be feeling or what they’re going through.

Vicky Rees-Davies with her family
Vicky Rees-Davies with her family (Image: Vicky Rees-Davies/Cover Images)

“I just want to sort of help in any way I can, and I know how good it makes me feel once I’ve exercised, so I want others to feel that good too. Vicky says that despite the life-altering diagnosis, she wants to raise awareness that Parkinson’s is not a death sentence – and says she’s actually happy in some way to have the disease.

“I want to help those with the diagnosis, and to show them that they’re not alone, that that it’s okay, and that you still have your whole life ahead of you,” she adds. “You’re not going to die tomorrow. There might be a cure in the future. We just don’t know.”

“I want to help people understand the little things that they can do to help them through every day and then build from there. It’s not nice, of course, and there are some horrible things that go along with it, but, you can still have a happy life.

“There are so many things you can do, and hopefully by me running the marathon, it can show people that anything is possible. In a way, I’m pleased I’ve got it.

“I know that sounds ridiculous, but it really makes you look at life differently and really appreciate it, and make sure you have your priorities right.”

Follow Vicky on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the_fitness_mum

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