A Witney firefighter is taking on a 3,200-mile Atlantic row to raise awareness of Parkinson’s after a friend was diagnosed with the disease at just 36 and, shockingly, died last year.
Billy Taylor and two crewmates will be doing the Atlantic Dash, an ocean row between Lanzarote in the Canary Islands and Antigua in the Caribbean.
Billy and Alex met as friends at Wallingford School.
Billy said: "I never knew anyone with Parkinson’s before Alex. We had a lot of open and honest discussions about the impact it was going to have on him and his family.
"We found out that exercise was a really good way to help manage symptoms, so we wanted to do something related to that – and landed on rowing.”
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Parkinson's disease is a condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged over many years.
Most people start to develop symptoms when they are over 50, although around one in 20 people with the condition first experience symptoms when they're under 40.
Billy said:"If you’re diagnosed at 65, then you’ve probably got another 10 or 20 years of being able to live a normal lifestyle. If you’re diagnosed at 35, it’s a completely different story – a different set of obstacles to overcome.
"You might still be working, you might have kids at home, a mortgage to pay off. So this campaign is about trying to reach out to people with Young Onset Parkinson’s as much as anything."
There are many different symptoms associated with the disease from tremor to balance problems, nerve pain and swallowing difficulties. Other symptoms are depression and anxiety and dementia.
World adventurer, athlete, writer and producer Alex was born and raised in Oxfordshire and finally settled in Wantage with his partner Justine Nunn. He was father to three boys.
After his diagnosis his career as a lawyer came to an end.
He made headlines with some of the extreme challenges he has taken on to raise money and awareness for Parkinson’s, including marathons, ultra-endurance races, triathlons, and even his own staircase.
In 2020, when the world shut down as a result of Covid, adventurer Alex was determined to keep busy and decided to try and climb the height of Everest using his own stairs at home.
After seven-and-a-half days and 220,000 steps, he had successfully climbed the equivalent height of the mountain not once, but twice.
In 2021, he attempted to be the first person in the world with Parkinson's to climb Everest.
Unfortuntely during his training, having successfully climbed Mount Meera Peak, Himalayas, he suffered from altitude sickness and died at the age of 49.
Billy said: “Even though Alex won’t be there physically, he’s going to be our fourth crew member.
"Alex, for one, was a force of nature. He would never accept defeat and was always pushing to try to make life better for other people and he taught us all that diagnosis doesn’t define who you are.
"With his sudden and shocking death last year, I’m glad to be doing this in his memory, and to be able to keep raising awareness."
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Parkinson's is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world and currently there is no cure.
Billy said: "I think there needs to be support for families as well, because the condition has a huge impact on everyone involved. It’s important for families to have a better understanding of what’s going on, to make life easier for both them."
Billy and crewmates Rachel Hearn and John Haskell are raising funds for the Oxfordshire charity Parkinsons.Me. For information, go to www.alexflynn.co.uk
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