Jenni Fergus and her support team are already walking towards victory, although the victory they truly want is a major breakthrough in the battle against Parkinson’s Disease.
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Mrs Fergus was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2014, but if anything that piece of news has only inspired her and her family to achieve even more.
Along with her husband David and sister Eileen Fleming, the Tamworth trio are tearing towards ticking a dream of their bucket list, and have raised nearly $30,000 for PD research along the way.
The gang are taking on a 100km leg of the El Camino pilgrimage in Spain come September, hoping to knock over the stroll in five days.
“It was something that I have always wanted to do, but it was Parkinson’s Disease that motivates us, otherwise we would still be sitting around talking about it,” Mrs Fergus said.
“We are really looking forward to it, and have just been gobsmacked by the amount of support we have got.”
The original goal was to raise $12,000 between them, although “we thought we would have to put most of it in ourselves.”
So far the trio have raised over $14,000, and that has almost exclusively come from the unique Movers, Sippers and Shakers club, a dynamic group of fellow PD battlers who meet weekly to exercise their bodies, minds, and mouths at RuralFit in the Sportsdome.
Every dollar raised is also matched by the Michael J Fox Foundation, and goes exclusively to Australian research.
For support crew David and Eileen the invitation was too good to resist, and despite Eileen copping a few falls in the past week the training regime is ramping up.
Just last week Mr and Mrs Fergus dropped their car off for repairs, before taking a leisurely stroll home, via the look-out of course, for an 18.5km round trip.
“I am really looking forward to the walk,” Ms Fleming said.
“I am also hoping to do an extra 88km to the coast after we finish.”
For Mr Fergus the walk is just another couple of thousand steps in the right direction.
“It is just another challenge that we haven’t conquered yet,” he said.
The trio are holding an afternoon tea fundraiser at the Hallsville Church from 1.30pm on Saturday July 28, which anyone is welcome to attend.
Last week the three walkers joined 30 others in a show of support at Barnaby Joyce’s office, as Rural Health Minister Bridget McKenzie met with a committee that have been campaigning for a PD specialist nurse.
