A dad-of-two was told he had an incurable brain condition after previously being told he had a trapped nerve.
Steven Swindells, 51, was out driving his daughter Emily when his hands and toes began uncontrollably switching, Manchester Evening News reports.
Knowing something wasn't right, his daughter took him to A&E immediately where he was told that it was a trapped nerve.
It would be a couple of weeks until he received an accurate diagnosis which would change his life.
Emily, 22, said: "His arm just started shaking and spasming. I took him to A&E and the doctor said it was a trapped nerve but I knew that wasn't right."
His symptoms went undiagnosed for weeks until his family received news that would turn their world upside down: Steven had Parkinson's disease.
“I didn’t think he had Parkinson’s because he has a physical job so we thought it was a trapped nerve,” Emily, from Didsbury, said.
“A few weeks later, we knew it definitely wasn’t a trapped nerve because it was getting worse. He was 46 when he got diagnosed, which is really young for Parkinson’s. The doctor knew straight away that he had it.
“We were all heartbroken because we didn’t know what it meant. I don’t think there’s a lot of awareness about Parkinson’s because I thought you just shook a bit, but it’s so much more than that. It’s heartbreaking how serious it can be.
“He’s had to have counselling; it’s affected our family. We’re the only family he has.
“There’s not that much research about Parkinson’s like cancer, but he’s losing his memory, he stutters and he chokes on food.
“We went out for tea and took our friends with us and my dad started choking and I knew exactly what to do because I was used to it.”
His condition has meant that Steve has had to make their plumbing company home-based. Their son Matthew, 18, has joined the business as an apprentice. It’s hoped he will take the reins one day.
Emily is now hoping to raise money and honour her dad by taking part in the Manchester Half Marathon on October 9.
“We’ve had to learn to adapt to how my dad is thinking and how he’s feeling,” Emily added. “It’s hard because sometimes he doesn’t process stuff and can get upset and angry or say something.
“It’s made us closer, but me and my dad used to go on holiday a lot and jet skiing was our thing. You can see him deteriorating and he can’t join in on things like that. That’s why I wanted to do something that makes him feel proud.
“It’s sad really because I see Snapchat memories of what he used to be like and he’s not the same anymore. It’s hard to deal with and you wish you’d spent more time with him before.”
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