Parkinson's ambassador off to the US

REBEKAH PARSONS-KINGWaikato Times

Dilys Parker is New Zealand's first ambassador for the World Parkinson Congress.

A Hamilton woman is the first New Zealand ambassador appointed to attend the World Parkinson Congress next year.

Dilys Parker was diagnosed with Parkinson's seven years ago.

She was working as a nurse in London and had been there for barely a year when she started noticing her finger was twitching.

"I had symptoms for many years and I knew this wasn't just old age," she said.

In May 2008, she was referred to a neurologist, who confirmed she had Parkinson's.

"I remember I had tickets to see Vanessa Redgrave perform The Year of Magical Thinking at a theatre in London," Parker said.

"I recall sitting in that packed theatre aware that my life was about to change and that no one else in this theatre knew this."

The 64 year old travelled back to New Zealand to tell her children she had Parkinson's and said her brother was also diagnosed with the condition around the same time as she was.

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Parkinson's ambassador off to the US