JACK Dalton’s battle with Parkinson’s disease has inspired his son Jordan to lop off his “beloved” dreadlocks to raise money for the Shake It Up Foundation.
Jack, 58, will do the honours this weekend at the Bridge Hotel in Bendigo, provided his medication has stopped his right hand from shaking too badly.
The Mildura father of three was diagnosed with Parkinson’s seven years ago, just before his family moved to Mildura so he could take up the role of manager at the Bendigo Bank.
Jordan was overseas at the time and said despite knowing his grandfather had also suffered from Parkinson’s, he then knew little about the disease.
“When I returned home however, PD had taken its toll on my dad,” Jordan said.
“While he was able to hide it well at the beginning, like all PD sufferers, it soon caught up with him.
“But rather than feeling sorry for him like I thought I would, I felt proud of him for the way that he had accepted it and was still able to continue working and get on with his life without letting it hold him back.”
In fact, Jack only retired about 12 months ago when his symptoms worsened.
“Fortunately for me, medical research had progressed since my father’s time and I was able to undergo deep-brain-stimulation surgery,” Jack said.
“This operation allowed me the capacity to continue working for several more years.
“But it just got harder and harder and I wasn’t doing the job justice.
“I couldn’t write and my voice comes and goes, so you can’t have a bank manager that can’t talk or write.”
Knowing that a family history of Parkinson’s increases a person’s risk of being diagnosed, Jordan has begun to worry about his future health.
“I am the third child in my family,” he said.
“My dad is the third child in his family and, as my parents confirmed, my grandfather was also the third eldest of all his siblings.
“While people tell me that this doesn’t necessarily increase the probability of me getting PD, it does weigh heavily on my mind sometimes. If I do end up with Parkinson’s disease I can only hope for two things.
“One, that enough money has been raised for Parkinson’s research to have found a cure, and two, that I can confront it head on with the same strength as my father.”
Jordan & Jack Dalton
To read Jack & Jordan’s inspiring story click here
To Donate to Jordan’s fundraiser click here
