SUP Mag UK lo-res free to readers July 2014 lo-res - free to read | Page 67

age groups can be affected. Parkinson’s is a neurological condition which affects the brain. The old grey matter is supposed to generate dopamine but does not make enough. This can cause a lack of balance, the legs freeze and stumbling occurs. Most noticeable is the shaking of arms, hands and legs. Some people develop a dead pan face – i.e. very little expression – but the one thing that remains unaffected is your humour! Te z I’ve known Stan for a long time – ever since the wife and I moved to Hayling Island in 2005. He was one of the first characters that I started seeing regularly and one of the friendliest. At that time, as he details, his passion was windsurfing and regularly he’d be at the beach come rain, snow or shine. A super approachable fellow, I started to notice a change in him and less and less Stan would be around. Later I came to realise this was in fact due to his condition (as he puts it). It took a while for doctors to get his medication sorted out – if it’s not right then this can make you worse, as he later told me. Sufferers will probably have had this condition sometime before being diagnosed. Trauma like divorce or bereavement can act as a trigger but this is only a thought train. Stand up paddling came on the scene a few years later and we were the first people on the island to embrace the sport. Mainly it was to access and ride the offshore sand bank waves that Hayling is now known for. So, as I was saying, having a sport which you love certainly helps. Not only a good level of fitness but also the social aspect combats the symptoms – how many people do you meet at a football match and retain their friendship? With our sport you meet hundreds on the beach and become long time and true friends. Although a good many pooh poohed it as a fad, soon enough I started seeing Stan at the beach again – this time with a paddle in hand. SUP had served to rejuvenate his water time and gave him a reinvigorated enthusiasm for getting afloat. One thing that shines through with Stan is his refusal to give up. He simply won’t lie down and stop. SUP’s diversity and opportunity for attaching a windsurfing rig only served to stoke Stan’s salty fires further. Windsup allows each movement to be slowed right down – giving him time to complete moves and enjoy a fulfilling session on the water. This winter has been exceptional, the rough weather reshaped the Hayling sand bank. In fact the storms totally reshaped some of the beach huts – into matchsticks! Now waves sweep right across the bay giving some superb long rides. It’s now not uncommon to see Stan back out on moderately windy days as well as during calmer periods when he uses a paddle. Back to more or less the same levels of brine time as when I first met the chap, his passion and enthusiasm still shine bright. Stan’s an example of how w e shouldn’t let our circumstances dictate our fate – where there’s a will, there’s a way and all that. There is no reason why people with this condition (sounds better than disease) should shy away from SUP. It’s more likely that old age will get you first – at 63 I have no intention of giving up just yet. In an effort to raise awareness for the big P, Stan recently organised a low key event – Paddle for Parkinson’s. By the time you read this a bunch of sweepers will have raised a swag of dough for continued research into the affliction. This once again highlights how Mr Wheeler just won’t give up and tries his hardest to give something back via the sport(s) he loves. Parkinson’s has no known cure at this time but don’t despair if you are diagnosed – life doesn’t have to stop and work continues to find that elusive cure. In the meantime I am off to get a fix on the Whopper, in the sun and on the waves. Stan continues to enjoy his time afloat and I’m sure he’ll be out on the Hayling SUPer bank for many more years to come. Information For more information about Parkinson’s Disease head over to www.parkinsons.org.uk 67 s t a n d u p p a d d l e m a g u k