Parkinson's Packers, people and purpose
Other P's are available...
Thanks to the 36 of you who have subscribed to ‘Diary of a YOPD’ and the 113 people who took the time to read my last update.
Help this newsletter to reach more people by subscribing, sharing, and forwarding to others. If you have a Substack account, then likes, comments and restacks help too!
Firstly, thanks for all the very kind responses to my last post. I set this newsletter up mostly for my own catharsis, and having more than 100 views on a single post is kind of mind-blowing to me. And hugely appreciated.
Update: the #PDcommunity on Bluesky continues to grow and build momentum. I’m on there as @iainliddle.com if you want to follow.
Onwards…
I’m quickly writing these thoughts from the departure gates at Heathrow.
In an hour or so, I fly to Chicago to board a bus headed for Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Me and ~70 other ubernerds are setting off on the annual UK & Irish Packers pilgrimage to see them host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday and then the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving Thursday.
Both games are at the iconic Lambeau Field. It’s a dream trip. It should be a glorious week. It will be fucking cold.
I was diagnosed with YOPD on June 4 of this year. A few days later, an email came through saying that a few more spaces on the trip were available.
I’ve written before about the renewed urge to do the things I want to do, but also not approach everything with the associated pressure of “this might be the last or only time you get to do this!”
When this email landed, I half-jokingly said to my partner: “Maybe this year I should actually go.”
“Yes, you should,” she replied matter-of-factly.
It’s amazing how quickly you can go from never thinking about something at all to suddenly seeing it everywhere.
It was revealed in September that former Packers quarterback Brett Favre also has Parkinson’s.
A few days later, current quarterback Jordan Love arrived at Lambeau wearing Favre’s former number four jersey in support.
Now, Favre has been accused of questionable actions over recent years, and based on his social media posts, I’m pretty far apart from him politically.
But health is a leveller. Parkinson’s is a leveller.
When you hear someone has it, you think of the human and the implications rather than defaulting to thinking whether they are your type of person or not.
My trip to Wisconsin is not about my diagnosis, but it is because of it.
I can’t imagine I would have “actually gone” this year if not for it.
So that’s at least one good thing to come of it. A new adventure, new experiences, new friends.
When I’m watching Jordan Love play this week, I won’t be thinking about my condition. I’ll be indulging in and celebrating a passion that began nearly twenty years ago, long before YOPD was something I had heard of.
At other times, I’ll probably - as I almost constantly do anyway - think about it a lot and how it’s kind of the reason I am there at all.
So, err.. thank you dopamine deficiency? I guess?
And with that, it’s time to board.
Go Pack Go!
I’ll be posting updates from my week in Wisconsin on Instagram, Bluesky and maybe Threads if you’re curious as to what it all looks and sounds like.
Reason to be optimistic this week
Brain Molecule Ophthalmic Acid Reverses Parkinson’s Movement Deficits, UC Irvine Study Finds
One final thing…
A main reason for writing this newsletter at all is to find and connect with people in a similar position.
YOPD is a niche condition and potentially a lonely one for people without a physical or digital support network.
Please feel free to share this your networks to help it find someone who may benefit from being part of a relevant community.