| Christy’s on his bike to help
battle disease  By
Elaine sheridan
JUST one year ago Dub-liner Christy Brophy was virtually disabled by Parkinson’s
Disease and couldn’t even walk properly.
But a ground-breaking treatment carried out in Britain has changed his life
forever and brought him back from the brink of despair.
Now the 51year-old who has a keen passion for motorbikes is taking to
the road and embarking on a mammoth bike ride across Britain in a bid
to make a difference to others who suffer from the disease.
“I can’t believe how things have changed for me in just one
year. It’s quite remarkable,” said Christy in his broad Dublin
accent.
“I thought I’d never ride my beloved bike again after discovering
I had Parkinson’s just over 10 years ago.”
Christy who has three children developed the condition at the age of
41 when he started to notice constant tremors in his legs.
He was working as a courier at the time and put it down to the daily rigours
of riding a motorbike around Dublin city centre each day.
Eventually the tremors started in his hand also and his doctor finally diagnosed
Parkinson’s. Christy was devastated at the prospect of not being able
to enjoy his favourite passion ever again.
But his life was transformed when he opted for a revolutionary treatment
call-ed Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS).
A neurological stimulator is implanted that sends electrical impulses to
the brain, preventing the tremors — and is altered with a remote control.
The device is inserted into the left breast-bone with wires connecting up
the neck and into the skull.
The gruelling operation which took place at the Frenchay Hospital in
Bristol — lasted six hours and saw a frame being placed around Christy’s
head to keep it completely still for the duration of the surgery.
Looking back Christy remembers it vividly. He said: “The frame
was to keep my head completely still but I thought I looked like Hannibal
Lector from Silence of the Lambs. I still refer to the frame as my mate
Hannibal.”
Now Christy wants to give something back and raise awareness for others
with the disease as well as raising money along the way.
He said: “We’ll be travelling 1,800 miles from John O’Groats
in Scotland to Lands End in the south-west of England then back to Bristol
to the hospital where I received the treatment that changed my life.”
Christy aims to return to the hospital with his biker pals on St. Patrick’s
Day the first anniversary since the operation took place.
He said: “I joked with the nurse who helped me, Karen O’Sullivan,
that the next time I would visit the hospital would be on my bike.
“I just can’t wait to see her face when I arrive on my Kawasaki
400 which I got for my 50th birthday from my wife Ann and the kids. That
will be one picture worth capturing!”
n Christy is seeking commercial sponsors for the event, as well as hoping
that other bikers will join him on the trip. He can be contacted by e-mail
at: mosschops17@hotmail.com.
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