By Leicester Mercury | Posted: 04 September, 2015
David Johnson was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease seven years ago, at the age of 40. It came as a complete shock and only because one of his colleagues noticed his hands shaking slightly.
"The doctor diagnosed me as soon as I walked through the door," said David, who used to work as an engineer but had to give up his job following the diagnosis.
"There wasn't any sign of Parkinson's to my knowledge. It just came out of the blue."
Since being diagnosed, David, who is now 47, said his life has been completely turned upside down.
"My life has got really bad," he says. "I can't drive now and I can't work; most of the day, I just sit around in a chair – it's not great.
"They've tried lots of drugs but I've not been lucky.
"My health has gone downhill quite quickly.
"When the drugs aren't working, it's crippling. I can feel my muscles tightening up and my face changing. I don't get the shakes as bad as I did but when I try and walk, I shuffle; I call it the zombie shuffle.
"I remember early on, when I was still able to walk to the doctors, two kids pointing at me and saying that's a zombie. I had to giggle because I probably would have said the same thing when I was a kid.
"Last summer, it went so downhill that I was getting stuck in chairs and sometimes, I couldn't even get out of bed; it was a nightmare."
David now lives back at home with his parents and has to rely on his father to do most things for him, including driving him anywhere.
Last autumn, David got quite ill and his doctor suggested he contact LOROS.
"I'd heard of LOROS but I didn't really have a clue what they did," said David, who now attends day therapy at the hospice on a weekly basis every Monday.
"It's so different from what I imagined. When Monday comes around, I look forward to seeing all my friends. It puts a smile back on my face."
When he is at the hospice, David says he enjoys playing quizzes and throwing an inflatable ball around with the new friends he has made.
"I've met some lovely people, it's been great," he added. "We also have relaxation time but I always seem to relax too much to and fall asleep. Most of all, I like chatting – that is probably my favourite thing."
David has also made the most of the complementary therapy services the hospice offers, including the massages to help his swollen feet.
"Wherever you have a muscle knot, they will tackle," he said. "And they give me head massages; they are the best because I have a constant headache."
"It's uplifting here at LOROS. It takes my mind of having Parkinson's for a day and I don't think about being ill when I'm here.
"It's just something different for me and it's the highlight of my week."
It costs £150 to pay for somebody like David Johnson to attend the day therapy service at LOROS.
To support people such as David, visit: loros.co.uk/support-us
To help celebrate Loros' 30th birthday visit: loros.co.uk/30for30
To donate, Text 'CARE24 30' to 70070 to give £30.
