The “Doing It While I Can” Tour 2026: Fish, Chips, and Mushy PDs

During our extended family summer holiday this year, I am taking the opportunity to not only connect with the family and create some lasting memories, but also take a few hours out to chat with some local Parkies along the way. I am really interested in understanding what—if anything—they have found that has positively affected their lives since diagnosis.

Saturday night was the first of our planned get-togethers with local volunteers who agreed to meet up during our travels to compare notes on all things PD. Darryl and Leah live in Perth and kindly agreed to meet us for a chat in response to a post I’d made some months ago on the Movers and Shakers Facebook group.

I was hoping to compare notes on the positive effects a diagnosis can bring to life, rather than just the obvious physical and mental challenges it poses. The fact that Darryl and Lea were open and game enough to meet a family of “rando” Poms they’d never met told me we’d likely share a very similar outlook on life.

Bimbling in Freo

Cathy and I spent a chilled day with the kids in Fremantle—or “Freo” as we call it now, fully embracing the local dialect. In contrast to the 30°C heat and thick humidity of Singapore, we are enjoying the clear skies, cooler temps (a crisp 20°C in the sun), and sunny days of Western Australia. It’s allowed us to bimble around at our own pace in much more comfortable conditions.

After a day discovering Freo’s markets, coffee shops, street performers, and microbreweries, we grabbed a table at Kaili’s Fish Market Cafe on Fremantle Harbour to await the arrival of our new friends.

I managed to embarrass everyone almost immediately by introducing myself to the wrong couple as they walked in. After accosting them and explaining we were meeting some friends for the first time, they were gracious enough not to make me feel like too much of a weirdo.

A few couples later, Darryl and Leah arrived, warmly introducing themselves and making us feel completely at ease from the start.

Comparing Notes Over Cod

We ordered fish and chips, and time flew by. While the kids beavered away on their phones, the four of us got to know each other.

The similarities between Darryl’s journey with PD and mine were remarkable:

• Both of us were diagnosed in 2020 around lockdown.
• Both of us were working in IT.
• Both of our initial symptoms focused on gait and walking challenges.

Darryl experiences frequent fluctuations in his medication, finding his “ON” and “OFF” periods inconsistent. We talked about the challenges I’ve faced in balancing medication, meal timing, what I eat, and the subsequent weight loss that came with it. I shared how I’ve managed to get better control over those off periods by keeping my gut as healthy and regular as possible and limiting protein intake during the day. For instance, if I cut out protein before and during a social event, I can be far more confident of staying “ON” when I need to be—which massively reduces my anxiety about going out.

Darryl is also heavily focused on staying active, doing PD Warrior classes, playing golf, and playing tennis multiple times a week. We agreed that exercise isn’t just about the physical benefits; it’s the mental health boost and the camaraderie of socialising with fellow “Parkies.” Darryl spoke about the shared humour among his PD Warriors—very similar to the mates I’ve made in my PD Attack classes and Quarry Movers United, Oxford’s first Parkinson’s walking football team.

Solidarity Across the Table

Meanwhile, Cathy and Lea compared their own experiences as partners navigating the condition. Cathy found real comfort in sharing how difficult it can be to watch a loved one look symptom-free one day, only to see the immense frustration they experience the next when the simplest task becomes an uphill struggle. Having a partner who advocates for you during overwhelming medical appointments is a lifeline, and it was wonderful for them to share that space.

As we finished our fish and chips and turned to dessert (we are on holiday, after all!), we acknowledged that no two people with Parkinson’s are the same. While others face more acute symptoms that make daily life extremely tough, maintaining a positive outlook is vital—especially as things progress.

For me, diagnosis provided the confidence and momentum to stop work and focus on things I would have deeply regretted missing out on. It gave me the push to exercise my creative side through writing these posts and introduced me to people like Darryl and Leah whom I’d otherwise never have met. Similarly, Darryl has used his diagnosis as motivation to pursue a long-held creative project of his own: a comedy novel he’d put off for years.

With dessert tucked away and a wonderful evening spent in the company of like-minded people, it was time to say our goodbyes. Feeling amazed—yet completely unsurprised—at how well we all got on, we headed off to catch the train back to Perth.