Colin Wynn “Physiclee Fit”

Physiclee Fit :- Captain:- Lesley Gosden;  the team made up of my husband, Colin Wynn, big sister (Lynn Clee– hence the team name), my nephew Tom and his fiancée Lucy.

Lynn is the ideal big sister and my best friend.  We have always been close and this was highlighted by her inviting me to share weekends with her when she was at University in Southampton. I not only gained an insight into the grown up world, nurtured a deep and trusting relationship with Lynn but also met my future husband.  So win/win.

My nephew Tom is a very keen and extremely knowledgeable sports fan.   When he started to join us watching our local football team in Kent, little did we know that he would remain a loyal supporter long after the rest of us reached the conclusion that we were flogging a dead horse.  Life in the lower divisions is hard, no glamourous players, run down stadiums, no money.  But his enthusiasm has never waned and even when we are mid table needing maximum points from the last few games and relying on more consistent teams to stumble, he will still be clinging onto the belief that we can make the play offs. Up the Gills!!

Lucy frequently gets dragged along to the matches and it is a sign of her deep commitment to Tom that she never complains, despite following a different team.   She has a sunny disposition and I can’t remember ever seeing her without a smile on her face.  We are very much looking forward to their wedding next year.

We are also pleased to be joined by Lou Clee and Jacob Clee (aged 6), both keen walkers and more than willing to support our cause.  We welcome them to our team of family members.

What can I say about Colin?  Married now for 40 years and he must sometimes wonder what on earth he has let himself in for.  I can be stubborn at times, feisty and headstrong.  I fiercely protect my independence which can make life challenging.  If he tries to help me I will tell him I can manage, but if he doesn’t offer assistance, he is chastised for watching me struggle.  He really cant win.

It is he who sees my everyday battle with this cruel condition and he who picks up the pieces when I cannot handle the enormity of what our future holds.  He has sacrificed his own life to make mine more tolerable and for that I can only thank him.  I refuse to call him my carer, he is first and foremost my husband.

So lets hope we can start to make the world wake up to the horror that is Parkinson’s. We found a treatment that improved quality of life immensely for me and many others, but this was not proven to the satisfaction of science.  Perhaps we need to start thinking about the needs of patients first and foremost and this Challenge is a step in the right direction.  We need to change attitudes and expectations and most importantly

STAND UP, SHOUT OUT AND BE COUNTED.

Teamed with “Nought to Ninety in Ten Days”

Funding Neuro