Young onset Parkinson’s disease means much more than just tremors for Hayley Milne and Scott Bailey.
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Both Launceston residents have dealt with anxiety since being diagnosed with the disease.
They take medication every four hours to manage the condition, for which there is no cure.
The disease manifests differently for Mr Bailey and Mrs Milne.
Mr Bailey struggles in the cold, while Mrs Milne finds lower temperatures are better for her condition, and she feels “really hot”.
Mrs Milne was diagnosed at the age of 41 two years ago, while Mr Bailey received his official diagnosis in September, 2016, when he was 40 years old.
“It came on very slowly, and then it hit like a force,” Mrs Milne said.
“The tremors and just everything, the aching body, my memory, the muscles, it's just everything ... but medication has made a huge difference to everyday life," she explained.
"It's just anxiety and depression that goes along with it, and I had never suffered from anxiety or depression but it came on like a force."
She said the medical ordeal had “absolutely” been tough emotionally.
Mrs Milne and Mr Bailey did not know each other prior to their diagnoses, but were connected through a mutual friend.
Their newfound bond has provided a huge source of relief, and the pair don’t know anyone else with young onset Parkinson’s.
They said their partners also benefited from the new friendship, and could empathise with each other with situations caused by the medical condition.
Mr Bailey is a father to two kids, and Mrs Milne has three children. A diagnosis before the age of 50 constitutes young onset Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s disease is progressive and there is no cure. April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month.
"I think most people think you get tremors and that's Parkinson's disease and that's all, but it affects you cognitively as well," Mr Bailey said.
The families held a barbecue at Heritage Forest on Saturday to raise funds and awareness for Parkinson’s, with money donated to the Shake It Up Australia Foundation. The foundation raises money for research for Parkinson’s and collaborates with the The Michael J. Fox Foundation in the US.
"The bottom line is, we need a cure,” Mr Bailey said.
“At the end of the day, there's nothing out there at the moment that slows it, that gets rid of it, that cures it … we need it as soon as possible because we're going to get worse without it."
To help their fundraising for Shake It Up, visit https://makingadifference.gofundraise.com.au/page/OliviaBailey1
