BENGALURU: Hari Prasad, 59, diagnosed a decade ago with Parkinson’s Disease, a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement, is embarking on a 40-day road trip early Friday morning with his wife as co-driver. He will be covering 2,600km from Bengaluru to Kathmandu, Nepal, to spread awareness on the management of Parkinson’s Disease to lead a better life. 

The plan is to reach Kathmandu by February 6, driving through 11 cities, including Belagavi, Kolad, Nasik, Sardar Sarovar, Indore, Bhopal, Sanchi, Jhansi, Agra, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Lumbini, Pokhara, Kathmandu, and back. He will address seminars at Nasik, Indore, Lucknow, Agra and Pokhara.

Hari Prasad says, “I want to see as many places as possible. I know my disease will catch up with me. But Deep Brain Stimulation has stopped the tremors and reduced my medication by 70 per cent. To those patients who suffer from Parkinson’s, I would suggest not to lose hope, and keep exercising because that releases endorphins.”

The medicines for Parkinson’s have side-effects like dyskinesia — uncontrollable movements of the face, torso, arms and legs. “I am perfectly fine now; 90 per cent of dyskinesia, in my case, movement of the head, has reduced now. Besides, we don’t drive at night,” he says. 

He has held 12-13 seminars in India and UK, where his wife and he meet caregivers and patients. As he starts out at 6.30am, his wife Mamta will be by his side. He is accompanied by two other couples in another SUV. They will take turns to drive.

LIVING WITH DISORDER FOR A DECADE

Hari Prasad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2009. He underwent bilateral Deep Brain Stimulation in 2015. DBS is a type of therapy that uses electrical stimulation to treat Parkinson’s. DBS can be effective in treating movement problems such as tremors, stiffness, difficulty in walking, and slowed movement.