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Living, working and thriving with Parkinson's

 

Despite being diagnosed with Parkinson's at the age of 36 and undergoing major brain surgery, Simon is working full-time, enjoying a sporty lifestyle and even captained the England Parkinson’s football team.

Simon on his way out of the office after work, holding a football

Simon now works full-time as a Business Continuity Manager, making the most of hybrid and flexible working offered by the Group. 

Lloyds Banking Group is really considerate about what I need, and what is going to help me thrive. 

I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s back in 2014, I was thirty-six. People generally think of Parkinson's as an old person's illness, but 20% of people are diagnosed before 50.

In late 2023, I underwent major brain surgery. A pulse generator (a device like a heart pacemaker) was placed under my skin around the chest and it’s connected to two fine wires that have been inserted into my brain. When the pulse generator is switched on, the electrodes deliver high-frequency stimulation to the targeted area. This stimulation changes some of the electrical signals in my brain that cause the symptoms of Parkinson’s. The magic of medicine now is my consultant can log on and see my brain waves from the hospital if needed, as it’s Bluetooth technology.

“I'm so lucky to be at this organisation – the support I’ve received has been amazing.”

I've broken a leg and an arm before, and those are temporary injuries. But when it's your brain, everything is impacted. Before the surgery I struggled with doing some of the little things which most people take for granted. Now I'm coaching my 6-year-old's soccer team, playing tennis with my 8-year-old and I’ve even captained the England Parkinson’s football team in a recent tournament in Malta, which of course we won.

All guts, all glory

The England football team has given people hope when they thought that all hope was gone. It’s an inspiring group of people and we get invites from all over the world to play football. We’ve played in Singapore, Italy, and Malta, and we’ve got Spain booked in 2024 with South America, North America and Australia all in the pipeline for future years – we just need a generous sponsor!

Finding a home

I'm so lucky to be at this organisation – the support I’ve received has been amazing. 

After my surgery, I started back on a phased return. First it was for three hours a week, then after a fortnight, Occupational Health increased it to six hours, then nine, then 12 until I was back up to full-time hours. I’m a hybrid worker, but I’m given additional flexibility by my bosses, so I’m able to manage my home and office time in a way that suits me.

I think a lot of people believe a bank is a bit of a boring place to work. But I wouldn't want to work anywhere else.

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