Hiker with YOPD now keeps his own pace after army years

Andy
Germany

Year of diagnosis: My symptoms for YOPD began when I was 37 back in 2017. I was diagnosed shortly thereafter.

Exercise of choice: I choose to exercise in many ways. My No. 1 passion is hiking the German hills, mostly with my daughter, who is 16. I’m surrounded by hills and forests and generally go for decent 20 km (12-mile) hikes. I also enjoy my home gym for cycling, running, and weights. I swim as often as possible. 

Another form of fitness for me is gardening. Everything takes more effort with YOPD, but it’s satisfying afterward seeing the garden grow.

Favorite place to hike: My favourite place is where there are new adventures. I just love randomly looking on Google maps with my daughter and finding random high hills that should offer great views. We also enjoy hiking starting at 5 a.m., as it improves the chances of seeing wildlife as we go: wild boar, deer, rabbits, foxes, squirrels, and more.

Toughest hike and why: To be honest, it would be a hike many years ago whilst I was serving in the U.K. army, as we normally had to hike in not-so-normal paces, lol. These days I can hike at my own pace and enjoy the surroundings, having breakfast outdoors and things like that.

Most proud of related to outdoors: I always complete what I set out to do. Most of the time it takes me longer than I wish, but it always gets done.

Outdoor or exercise gear that is a must: Piece of exercise I can’t hike without is my daughter — lol — and some wet wipes for those moments you need to hunch down in nature. When you gotta go, you gotta go, right?

Advice for someone recently diagnosed who wants to stay active: My advice to someone with PD is to take control of your body and mind; if we don’t use it we lose it. It’s so easy to curl up and cry about the diagnosis, but crying will solve nothing. Get out there and continue living as best and as long as you can. No surrender!

Advice for someone with PD who is just starting to exercise: For.those new to fitness, every step you take is a step in the right direction. Whether you do 1 km or 20 km, it keeps you going and your achievements have begun.

Biggest challenge with Parkinson’s right now: I took a huge step backwards as I’ve had my DBS removed from me due to an infection on the cables. So I’m shaking a lot and dragging my foot a lot, but still I keep going.

How I try to stay positive: Of course I have bad days like.everyone. But to try and keep positive; I have accepted my illness and just take each day as it comes. We have no choice but to live with it, so adapt and overcome and keep walking forward.

Advocacy work for PD: I don’t advocate for PD, but I do post on TikTok my experiences and discuss PD with others with the diagnosis. 

Career field: I was a soldier for 15 years in the British military. That saw me go to places like Canada, Poland, Austria, Germany, Cyprus, Iraq, Kuwait, and Kosovo, to name a few. I left the army in 2011 and became a truck driver around Europe, which I eventually I had to give up due to Parkinson’s. I’m now working in a recycling center, which is a pretty active job that keeps me moving all day.

How to find me online: On TikTok at Andy_its_just_yopd.

A man sits on a rock with a backpack on.
A man and a girl look out at mountains and a sunset.

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If you have Parkinson’s disease and the outdoors and exercise are part of your life, share your story in Unshakable Voices. Email unshakablehiker@gmail.com for details.