Jean

In 1987 when my husband, Terry, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease it wasn't easy to get information about it. I collected a pile of books from the library, and sat in my car trying to understand what was happening to the man with whom I had built a happy, successful family life.

I had always been quite shy and was happy to be a housewife and mother, while Terry worked in a job he loved, as a dealer buying and selling shares on the London Stock Exchange.

All that changed and I have had to become more assertive and self assured and have found strengths within myself which I did not know existed.

The children were very young when Terry was diagnosed and I believe that this has helped him. He had to fight harder not to let it affect our lives; playing rugby, going to theme parks, swimming and participating in all the activities along with other parents.

I think there's still a need for better information for people with Parkinson's disease, at all stages of their illness. Greater public awareness about Parkinson's is also needed, so that people understand that the disease does not just affect the elderly and isn't just about wheelchairs and disability.

Terry is after-all still Terry who just happens to have Parkinson's. We have been married for 48 good years; we have a wonderful family and six grandchildren. I never consider that I am his carer. I am his wife and his friend as he is mine.