April 13th, 2019: On World Parkinson’s Day (April 11th) Harry Styles’ mom Mrs. Anne Twist tweeted in support of the newly launched campaign “Parkinson’s Is”. The campaign has been launched by Parkinson’s UK and aims at raising understanding of Parkinson’s disease as a serious health condition.
Parkinson’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by the death of the brain cells that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter in our brain that regulates movement and emotions. Because the dopamine-producing cells die in Parkinson’s, the condition is irreversible unless we find a way to stop the degeneration of these cells. There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s but medications that supplement the lost dopamine are available and these can benefit Parkinson’s patients at least to a certain extent.
According to the Parkinson’s UK website, 1 in 500 people are affected by or will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the UK. This means that every hour two people are diagnosed with this disease. Parkinson’s can manifest itself in many different ways with a total of 40 symptoms that can be recognized in individuals affected by the disease, and it can be diagnosed both in elderly individuals and people in their forties, thirties, and even twenties.
The video below is shared from Parkinson’s UK website.
Parkinson’s UK is campaigning through its different programs for a better understanding of the disease, for a lifting of the stigma attached to it, and for more scientific research aimed at finding a cure. On its website, Parkinson’s UK has links to pages that explain the disease, its origin, and that provide a list of the symptoms. Moreover, this organization provides support for Parkinson’s patients and their families in the form of a helpline, online support, and local groups throughout the UK territory. These groups (a total of 365) often have health and social care professionals working in them to help Parkinson’s patients and their families find appropriate therapies and identifying coping mechanisms that can allow them to overcome everyday challenges.
Parkinson’s UK is also campaigning to encourage Parkinson’s patients to take part in vital scientific research aimed at identifying technologies that can help with the diagnosis and coping with the disease, and in clinical trials using new therapeutic approaches.
Mrs. Anne Twist is one of the VIPs listed on Parkinson’s UK website who help spread the message of Parkinson’s UK. Anne has been supporting together with other members of her family including her children Harry and Gemma Styles, Parkinson’s UK for many years now having been personally touched by the disease. Indeed Anne’s father Mr. Brian Selley is affected by Parkinson’s. You can find previous articles we published on Anne and her family supporting Parkinson’s awareness at the following links:
Flashback: Harry Styles and His Family Support The Parkinson’s Awareness Event
Anne Twist attends #Symfunny No. 2 benefiting Parkinson’s UK
Gemma Styles goes whitewater rafting to support Parkinson’s UK
To learn more about Parkinson’s UK, how you can support their mission or access the wealth of information on Parkinson’s on their site, visit them here.
Mrs. Anne Twist picture is shared from her Twitter account.
A Charitable Direction 