Why I am fundraising for Parkinson's UK
Thank you so much for visiting my fund-raising page. I’ve signed up for the Great North Run, taking place on 13th September 2026.
A little bit about myself and why I’m doing this…
My name is Zak, I’m 32 years old. I’m a Dad to 2 boys, Ewan and Sonny, and a husband to Jessica. My beautiful mam, Julie, was officially diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2025 after displaying early signs and symptoms for around the last couple of years.
So, although the news was not totally unexpected, it still hit us all quite hard, particularly my Mam, who is trying to take things day by day as her condition has gradually became more prominent in recent months. However, her determination to not let this all overwhelm her, slow her down or stop her from being a wonderful Mam to myself and my sister, a caring, kind Grandma to her grandsons or a loving wife to her husband, Mark; has altogether inspired me to do something that I never imagined I’d be capable of doing - taking part in the Great North Run.
I’ve never ran more than a 5K in my entire life and my fitness levels right now are where you’d probably expect a parent to 2 kids under 6 to be, so I’ve got a hell of a lot of work to do between now and then! But if my amazing Mam can still crack on with life in the face of such a daunting, unpredictable and frightening future ahead of her, then I should absolutely do everything in my power to take on this immense challenge and work my arse off to raise as much awareness and funds as possible, to give her and others affected by this cruel disease, the best chance of a better future, like she has done for me since the moment I was born.
I owe her this.
This is for you Mam. See you at the finish line x ❤️💪🏻
