Earlier this month, Devonport resident Jack Ellings hiked

halfway up Crater Peak at Cradle Mountain.

What makes this feat so remarkable?

Mr Ellings was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease can have a detrimental effect on an

individual’s walking gait and balance - symptoms include joint stiffness, stiffness of movement and vertigo.

Mr Ellings said he wanted to make sure the diagnosis didn’t affect his lifestyle and was determined not to let it affect him.

''It (the diagnosis) did answer a lot of questions,’’ Mr Ellings said.

''I wasn’t feeling right at the time and now I know why.’’

Mr Ellings said that to him, his disease was ''just another brick in the rucksack’’ and that sometimes things did just happen - but it didn’t have to

mean the end of the world.

''I’m part of a group that does regular repairs and renovations to the Scout hall,’’ Mr Ellings said.

''We were doing a working bee up there and I was determined to go.’’

The ordinarily 45-minute oneway trip took Mr Ellings, who shuffled his way up the slope, one hour and 45-minutes.

''I had two guys come behind me,’’ he said.

''And every now and then I felt a bit of a push forward in my back.’’

Mr Ellings said the support from the boys had been overwhelming.

''A couple of times I told them to go on ahead, that I had my mobile phone and that if I got into trouble then I would be right, but every time they said

'no’.’’

Mr Ellings said he hoped his story might inspire others, but he did not want to sound like he was hogging the spotlight.

''I was only diagnosed this year,’’ he said.

''There are loads of people out there who have had the disease for a lot longer and still get out there and get on with their lives.’’

Mr Ellings said he wanted to let people know that just

because you may have been diagnosed with a disease, life doesn’t have to just stop.

''You only live once,’’ he said.

''You can either sit there and rot or you can get out there and live.’’

A North-West Parkinson’s

disease support group meets at

the Ulverstone Senior Citizens

Club, King Edward St, on the first

or second Wednesday of each

month. For more information

phone Ann Dodd on 6421 7739 or

0409 041 850.