INDEFENSIBLE Radio legend Kid Jenson’s Spring out battle with Parkinson’s of winter blues...
»»Varadkar: Hospital waiting not acceptable »»Fianna Fail leader says crisis worsened
DJ Jensen RADIO star David “Kid” Jensen revealed he has been battling Parkinson’s disease for the past five years.
The 67-year-old former BBC DJ and Top of the Pops presenter said he went public about his illness to support fundraising efforts in a bid to find a cure.
He added: “I have decided to raise awareness about Parkinson’s and to demonstrate it is possible to continue with so many aspects of one’s life.
“When Billy Connolly and my old colleague Dave Clark announced they had Parkinson’s and started to raise funds, I felt it was time for me, with the support of my friends and family, to reveal my situation.
“I am so appreciative of the support I have received from my wife Gudrun, who I have been married to for 43 wonderful years, my three children and seven grandchildren.”
Former Mirror pop columnist Jensen was nicknamed Kid in 1968 after becoming Europe’s youngest DJ with Radio Luxembourg at the age of 18.
He joined Radio 1 in 1976 and now works on local stations. IT might be January but it’s not too early to think about sizzling styles for spring and summer.
Showcasing its new range with an in-store show, Brown Thomas Dublin packed its collection with romantic accents from flirty floral maxi dresses to chic midi lengths in pretty ice-cream shades (Prada).
Reconstructed tailoring (Celine and Stella Mccartney) is set to be big, while Rosie Assoulin’s dreamy creations showcas sher penchant for functional luxury.
Brown Thomas’ Shelly Corkery said: “It will be a season where colourful maximalism is explored throughout the collections with looks dominated by a distinctly nostalgic feeling.” Patient on trolley TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar yesterday admitted the hospital trolley crisis is “not defensible”.
He said more than 400 patients were waiting yesterday morning but insisted the Government was doing all it could to alleviate the problem.
Mr Varadkar added plans to increase capacity were ongoing and Health Minister Simon Harris will present his review to the Cabinet within the next few days.
He told the Dail: “It is not defensible. If this was simply a matter of political will and not finance we would have resolved this a long time ago.”
The Fine Gael leader added an additional 2,500 inpatient beds are needed by 2031 but warned the crisis will not be resolved by increased resources alone. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin accused the Government of a “lack of planning, urgency and inertia”.
He added: “Three years ago you as minister for health said you were sick to death of the problem and would resolve it once and for all.
“That plan never materialised. The situation has become much worse.”
The Taoiseach hit back, saying: “You were a member of the Government in 2006 that declared this a national emergency and you were in power for another five years after that and that was 11 years ago.
“A decision was taken in 2007 to start reducing our hospital stock. From 2007 onwards the number of acute hospital beds was reduced every year. I took the decision to reverse that.”
Mr Varadkar said he does not want any citizen “to face the indignity or clinical risk that comes with long stays on hospital trolleys”.
He added: “As a doctor who worked for seven years in the health service, as a former health minister and someone with elderly relatives ... this is something the Government is doing everything we can to alleviate.”
I dont want anyone to face the indignity of long stays on trolleys LEO VARADKAR
DAIL YESTERDAY