Parkinson’s Awareness Month

Jas Athwal Excerpts

Thursday 1st May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Jas Athwal (Ilford South) (Lab)]

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie) for securing this vital debate, for speaking so eloquently and for highlighting the work we still have to do and the shortcomings we still have to overcome. I also thank Members across the Chamber for making such moving and powerful speeches to make the point that we must do more.

Every hour, two people’s lives are forever changed by a Parkinson’s diagnosis. That is some 18,000 men and women every year receiving a diagnosis that casts a shadow over their future. One of those people is my constituent, Jagdeep—a husband, a father, a son, a brother. He shared with me that when he received his diagnosis, he broke down right outside the hospital. Jagdeep is a strong personality with strong physical attributes, with a black belt in karate. He grew up in the east end and is tough as nails, but Parkinson’s broke him down that day.

Parkinson’s Awareness Month provides a precious opportunity to raise awareness about these personal battles, to discuss how we can support our constituents with the disease and to spotlight the resilience of those with Parkinson’s.

Today, I wish to share Jagdeep’s story. Although Jagdeep’s initial diagnosis was overwhelming, he told me how his faith anchored him and gave him the courage to turn this challenge into a mission of Seva, a Sikh principle of selfless service. In 2022, he raised £15,000 for Parkinson’s UK, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with his daughter. Two years later, he trekked the Annapurna circuit in Nepal, and, most recently, he travelled to Uganda to support those with Parkinson’s. He has achieved great feats abroad. At home in Ilford he has achieved something even greater: he has built a community for those living with Parkinson’s. Having taught martial arts for 35 years, he launched the Dopamine Warriors Boxing Club, a free weekly boxing class designed specifically for those with Parkinson’s.

Exercise such as boxing has been proven to slow down the progression of Parkinson’s. For the nearly 50 attendees coming to his classes from across east London, Jagdeep’s club has proved a lifeline. Attendees come from all walks of life, backgrounds and ethnicities. These classes have become a space without stigma—a space where having tremors does not set people apart, and a space where people can connect with one another.

I have one story that particularly moved me. Jagdeep mentioned that a new attendee arrived at the class in a wheelchair as a result of his symptoms. By the end of his first session, he left the class on his own two feet. The camaraderie in the class gave him the encouragement that he needed to be able to stand up. I am glad that part of the Labour Government’s 10-year plan for the NHS is shifting care into the community.

In his own corner of the world, Jagdeep is making that vision a reality. His classes demonstrate that although we may not yet have a cure for Parkinson’s, we do have the ability to improve people’s lives now, by building spaces, like the boxing club, to provide people with a sense of belonging, community and encouragement. We owe it to Jagdeep and to every other person battling this disease to match their courage with our action—by fighting for our NHS, by investing in our community care, and by ensuring that, regardless of a cure, no one faces Parkinson’s alone.